Israel issues message to Lebanese citizens amid reports of potential preemptive strike on Hezbollah

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued a warning to the people of Lebanon as both Israel and Hezbollah consider first-strike options amid simmering tensions in the Middle East. 

Gallant stressed that Israel seeks “peace, prosperity and stability on both sides of the northern border” in contrast to Hezbollah, who have “taken Lebanon and its people hostage for the sake of narrow sectarian interests.” 

“We will not allow the Hezbollah militia to destabilize the border and the region,” Gallant said. “If Hezbollah continues its aggression, Israel will fight it, with all its might: Remember Nasrallah’s regret following the dangerous and miscalculated adventure he embarked on, in August 2006 – learn the lesson of the past so as not to fall into a dangerous scenario in August 2024.”

Gallant then recited the Arabic proverb “He who plays with fire may expect destruction.” 

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Hamas and Hezbollah lost top terrorists within the same week, with Iran and its proxies each blaming Israel for the assassinations. Hezbollah remains keen to avenge the death of it’s “No. 2,” Fuad Shukr, and may only have greater intent following the death this week of another commander, Hassan Fares Jeshi.

Israeli media reported on Thursday that Hezbollah plans to attack Israel even if Iran backtracks on plans to retaliate for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, for which Iranian officials have blamed Israel.

Part of Hezbollah’s advantage lays in the lack of necessary preparation to launch such an attack, as displayed on Thursday as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that 25 projectiles had been launched from Hezbollah (but resulted in no injuries). 

Gallant said Thursday that the IDF performs “regular situation assessments of things” and that the forces remain at “high readiness in all parameters” for any response. 

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“There is here a psychological attempt by the enemy to sow fear, tell stories and terrorize,” Gallant said, stressing the need for “resilience and strength” from the public. “Faced with this, we need to deal with the right main things: To give an answer to the public and, above all, to get the public to listen to the instructions of the Home Front Command; this is the authority, and this is how we should address the public.” 

“We are working to reach a situation where we will be able to give the public sufficient warning when required, and until then, allow them to continue a normal lifestyle as much as possible,” Gallant said. 

A funeral ceremony is held for Yasir Nemir Karnish, the former bodyguard of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in clashes on the Israeli-Lebanese border in Beirut, Lebanon on July 10, 2024. Karnish’s relatives and Hezbollah sympathizers attended the ceremony.  (Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“The likelihood of Israeli preemption increases if they think Hezbollah’s attack will be severe, especially if it’s part of a multi-front offensive,” Jonathan Ruhe, Director of Foreign Policy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, told Fox News Digital. 

“The more Hezbollah looks like it’s going to fire precision munitions and/or lots of projectiles overall, the greater Israel’s incentive to move “left of launch” and take out these capabilities before they can overwhelm or evade Israel’s air defenses,” Ruhe said. “Most likely, this would mean airstrikes on Hezbollah launchers and command-and-control assets in Lebanon, utilizing Israel’s impressive operational intel on Hezbollah.” 

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The affront of losing the leader of a major and high-profile terror proxy group seemed too much for Iran to bear – especially as his death occurred in Tehran – but following nearly two weeks of high tensions, Iran indicated that may be reconsidering its plans, according to U.S. officials who spoke with Politico on the matter. 

A combination of regional pressure from Iran’s neighbors and the threat of a direct conflict with the U.S. are believed to be the prime motivating factors as the U.S. redirected some assets to the region in an effort to impress upon Tehran the potential consequences of any further escalation. 

Army Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla met with the Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Halevi.  (IDF)

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on social media platform X that the Air Force had deployed F-22 Raptors on Thursday “as part of U.S. force posture changes in the region and to address threats posed by Iran and Iranian-backed groups.”

CENTCOM had announced the raptor deployment a full week earlier, citing again the need to deter Iranian attack on Israel.

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Iranian officials also determined that Haniyeh did not die in a missile strike but in a bomb placed in his room, which would indicate a covert operation to kill him – and an operation that killed no Iranians, either, The Times of Israel reported. 

U.S. officials still expect Iran to respond to Haniyeh’s death, but as time goes on, the reponse will likely take a more measured form. 

Fox News Digital’s Liz Friden and Yonat Frilling contributed to this report.