Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday once again warned Hezbollah against getting involved in the ongoing war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, describing it as “it would be the mistake of a lifetime.”
Fears are growing that the conflict could expand to include Lebanon, with daily exchanges of shelling and gunfire on the border between Israeli forces and Hezbollah.
Netanyahu said in a televised address: “If Hezbollah decides to enter this war, it would be the mistake of a lifetime,” adding that the Israeli army defends and attacks in the north of the country, “and we will continue to defend our borders ”. .”
He added: “We will not stand idly by in the face of Hezbollah’s threat to our citizens and population centers, and we will respond to any attacks against us.”
He stressed that the Israeli army attacked “many Hezbollah positions and we eliminated many of the leaders.”
Regarding the hostage crisis in Gaza, Netanyahu said he had asked the Red Cross to work to free these kidnapped people and to visit them “so we can ensure their safety.”
He also referred to his meeting with ambassadors of several countries on Monday and said: “I asked them to support Israel on the issue of the abducted people…”
He reiterated his statement that “there will be no ceasefire without the return of the abductees.”
He told the families of the abductees that the government is working to resolve this crisis, adding that “the military operation is a vital part of this issue.”
Responding to requests for fuel to enter the Gaza Strip, where hospitals have stopped operating due to fuel shortages in light of Israel’s electricity cuts, Netanyahu said: “There is no entry of fuel, and there will be no ceasefire without the return of the kidnapped.”
Last Saturday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned that there was not enough food, water and medicine, while fuel needed to run Gaza’s hospitals and water stations was running out.
A surprise attack launched by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on border towns in Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,400 people, most of them civilians, overall killed on the first day of the attack, and more than 240 hostages. , according to Israeli authorities.
Israel has since responded with intense bombing of the Gaza Strip, killing more than ten thousand people, most of them civilians and including more than four thousand children, according to the Hamas government.
Then, according to the army, Israeli forces advanced into the Strip after surrounding Gaza City and dividing the Strip into two parts.
Netanyahu’s statements came as Guterres called again on Monday for a “humanitarian ceasefire that becomes more urgent by the hour” in the Strip, which has become a “cemetery for children”.
He added: “The nightmare in Gaza is more than just a humanitarian crisis. Rather, humanity is experiencing a crisis.”