Gallant: Israel ‘will return Lebanon to Stone Age’ if Hezbollah makes a mistake

Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah not to make any mistakes in its dealings with Israel. 

Touring the northern border with Lebanon on Tuesday, Gallant said that Nasrallah has made mistakes in the past and paid “very heavy prices.”

“If an escalation or conflict develops here, we will return Lebanon to the Stone Age. We will not hesitate to use all our power, and erode every inch of Hezbollah and Lebanon if we have to,” Gallant said.

“Don’t mistake us, we don’t want war, but we are ready to protect our citizens, our soldiers and our sovereignty,” the defence minister added.

Gallant’s warning comes as Hezbollah has ramped up its activities and provocations against Israel along the border, attempting to damage and breach the security fence.

It also erected two tents in the contested Mount Dov region/Shebaa Farms, bringing the IDF on high alert.

While one tent has been removed, the other still remains in Israeli territory, causing Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah to warn Israel not to touch it.

However, a security official told Jewish News last week that the tents mark a “red line” for Israel since they are breaching its territory. Israel has asked the UN to help remove the tent, in order not to “escalate” the situation. But if that fails, “we will do it ourselves,” the official said.