“We are acting in the north all the time against all efforts by Hezbollah to operate against us"

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened that any possible escalation by Lebanese Iran-backed militia Hezbollah on the Israel-Lebanon border may result in the “destruction” of Lebanon.

Netanyahu said the Israeli army was being proactive in fighting the Iran-backed terror group and had adopted a policy of “strong deterrence in the north” against Hezbollah, according to the Times of Israel.

“We are acting in the north all the time against all efforts by Hezbollah to operate against us. We are eliminating terror cells, pushing them away from the border, destroying munitions. We will continue with strong deterrence in the north, and total victory in the south,” he said.

“It should be clear, we are committed to restoring security to the south and the north. If Hezbollah makes a mistake and enters into a full-out war it will destroy Lebanon with its own hands,” Netanyahu warned.

Hezbollah, a long-time ally of Palestinian militant group Hamas, has been escalating its rhetoric against Israel since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7. The Lebanese militia has also been launching cross-border attacks against Israeli targets to which Israel would return fire.

Recently, Israel’s forces and Hezbollah’s members have been exchanging heavy fire across the Israel-Lebanon border. Both sides claimed to have struck targets during the attacks which covered several areas of the border.