Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated during a visit to Washington on Wednesday that while Israel does not seek war with Lebanon, it has the capability to send the country back to the “Stone Age” if diplomacy fails.
“We don’t want to get into a war because it’s not good for Israel. We have the ability to take Lebanon back to the Stone Age, but we don’t want to do it,” Gallant told reporters on the final day of his visit.
“We do not want war, but we are preparing for every scenario,” he added.
“Hezbollah understands very well that we can inflict massive damage in Lebanon if a war is launched.”
Tensions have escalated in recent weeks, raising fears of an all-out war in Lebanon as violent exchanges between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah have intensified.
The two sides have been trading regular cross-border fire since Hezbollah ally Hamas’ October 7 attack on southern Israel, which sparked the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Gallant mentioned that Israel had killed more than 400 Hezbollah “terrorists” in recent months.
At least 481 people have died in Lebanon as a result of the Israel-Hezbollah clashes since October 7, including 94 civilians.
On the Israeli side, at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed, according to Israeli sources.
Lebanon’s national news agency reported that an Israeli strike on Wednesday night destroyed a building in Nabatiyeh, wounding five people in the vicinity.
