Israel to Iran: If Hezbollah Joins War, 'Head of Snake' Will Be Targeted
Israel to Iran: If Hezbollah Joins War, 'Head of Snake' Will Be Targeted
Israel is promising to cut off “the head of the snake” and launch a military attack against Iran if Hezbollah — its proxy terror group in Lebanon — gets involved in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
Fran Beyer - OCT 22, 2023
Israel is promising to cut off “the head of the snake” and launch a military attack against Iran if Hezbollah — its proxy terror group in Lebanon — gets involved in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
In an fiery interview Sunday with The Mail, Nir Barkat, Israel's minister of economy, declared Iran's ayatollahs will be “wiped off the face of the earth” if Hezbollah goes on the attack against Israel — escalating the regional conflict.
The ominous threat comes amid a looming ground invasion by the Israel Defense Forces of the Gaza Strip to “annihilate” Hamas, and raises troubling fears that Israel could be forced to fight on two fronts.
Also on Sunday, Hezbollah announced the deaths of five more militants as clashes along the Lebanon-Israel border intensified — while the Israeli prime minister warned Lebanon to not let itself get dragged into a new war.
In Barkat's interview, he declared that not only would Israel “eliminate Hezbollah” if it believes the terror group is opening up a “northern front,’” but that “we will actually target Iran.”
“The plan of Iran is to attack Israel on all fronts,” he said, The Mail reported. “If we find they intend to target Israel, we will not just retaliate to those fronts, but we will go to the head of the snake, which is Iran.”
“The Ayatollahs in Iran are not going to sleep good at night. We are going to make sure they pay a heavy price if, God forbid, they open the northern front.
“Lebanon and Hezbollah are going to pay a heavy price, similar to what Hamas is going to pay. But that's not enough. The very clear message is that we are going to be going after the heads of Iran as well. When will we do that? When we decide.
“Israel has a very clear message to our enemies. We are saying to them, Look what's happening in Gaza — you are going to get the same treatment if you attack us. We are going to wipe you off the face of the Earth.”
The escalating tensions come as Israel announced that Hamas has freed two American hostages held in Gaza since the war began Oct. 7.
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes continued to hit southern Gaza, an area crowded with civilians who fled there from the north on Israeli instructions. Israel’s military spokesman said the country is stepping up its attacks, coming amid expectations of a ground offensive.
The war entered its 16th day Sunday — and is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Saturday that the death toll has reached 4,385, while 13,561 people have been wounded.
Amid the chaos, however, aid deliveries began moving into the besieged Gaza Strip.
In other developments:
A deal collapsed to release 50 more hostages — following the release Friday of an American mother and daughter on Friday.
The father of freed American teenage hostage Natalie Raanan, who spoke with President Joe Biden on Saturday, says she’s doing well after her release by Hamas.
Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators are marching in London, Barcelona, Los Angeles, and other cities.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is ordering further defenses for troops as tensions grow.
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Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/israel-hamas-hezbollah/2023/10/22/id/1139217/