Netanyahu Warns Hezbollah, Iran after IDF Strike Pre-Empts Large-Scale Attack

JERUSALEM, Israel – Israel was quiet on Monday morning after the military pre-empted what could have been a massive Hezbollah attack intended to devastate northern and central Israel, including Tel Aviv.

About one hundred Israeli jets struck dozens of sites in Lebanon to destroy more than a thousand rockets and launchers Hezbollah was about to fire at Israel.

Israel Defense Forces Chief Spokesman Daniel Hagari explained, "We monitored Hezbollah for weeks using technological means and aerial patrols by Israeli Air Force aircraft. As soon as we identified Hezbollah's intention to carry out the attack, we thwarted the majority of the attack. Hezbollah attempted to severely harm the north and center of Israel, but was met with an iron fist."

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer asserted, "Thousands of missiles and drones were primed to be launched against civilians in Israel. Had these missiles and drones flown, the death toll would have been in the thousands with massive damage."

Hezbollah's leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, insists that Israel started the trouble, and his terror group was on the defensive. Yet, he also claimed Israel's jets did no real damage.

“It was an aggression, not a preemptive act," Nasrallah said. "If we assume that it was a pre-emptive act then it had no impact at all on our military operations today."

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah did manage to get 320 projectiles and attack drones into the air. From one northern Israeli city, distant explosions were visible in Lebanon, as were Hezbollah rockets soaring into the sky.  

Still, Israel's only casualty was a sailor killed by shrapnel falling from the sky. He was buried in a military cemetery on Sunday.

Some in the Arab world mocked Hezbollah because the group's rockets killed more chickens than anything else when they smashed into a chicken farm in the north.

BREAKING: Here is how it looked on the Israel-Lebanon border this morning. Please pray. pic.twitter.com/l3kugWdmTp

— Joel C. Rosenberg (@JoelCRosenberg) August 25, 2024

Israel's Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog believes the Jewish nation's preemptive strikes on Hezbollah may have prevented a wider war. He contends the threat is still present on the northern border, as is the untenable reality of thousands of Israelis unable to live in their own homes along the Lebanese border.

Speaking on CBS Face the Nation, Herzog stated, "We have nearly 70,000 people in Israel, northern Israel, away from their homes – refugees in their own country – and we have to make sure that they can go back safely to their homes."

Herzog also noted that a strong U.S. military presence is helping deter Iran. Two carrier groups are now in the region.

Israel still faces the reality that it must somehow put an end to Hezbollah's ability to strike its communities every day.

Thank God for the Iron Dome. pic.twitter.com/QywSL2foEq

— Israel ישראל (@Israel) August 25, 2024

However, the Biden administration still insists Israel must de-escalate rather than go on offense against Hezbollah or Iran. The White House believes a regional peace involves sealing a ceasefire deal in Cairo to end the war in Gaza, insisting Iran and Hezbollah both use that war to justify their attacks on Israel.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on CTV, "It is incumbent on all parties, in the region to work towards de-escalation and stability. And so we are feverishly working in Cairo as we speak, with our team and the teams of the other mediators, as well as with the Israelis, to get to a cease-fire and hostage deal."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims the fight with Hezbollah and its Iranian overlords is far from over.

He said on Sunday, "Nasrallah in Beirut and Khamenei in Tehran should know that this is another step on the path to changing the situation in the north and returning our residents safely to their homes. And I repeat: this is not the end of the story."

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