Israel has vowed to launch a military attack against Iran, “the head of the snake”, if Hezbollah enters the war with Hamas.
Nir Barkat, Israel’s minister of economy, warned that they would “eliminate Hezbollah” if the Iranian-backed Lebanese group opened up a second, northern front in the war, but he added “we will actaually target Iran.”
“The plan of Iran is to attack Israel on all fronts,” Barkat told the UK’s Mail on Sunday. “If we find they intend to target Israel, we will not just retaliate to those fronts, but we will go to the head of the snake, which is Iran.
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“The Ayatollahs in Iran are not going to sleep good at night, we are going to make sure they pay a heavy price if, God forbid, they open the northern front.”
He added that Israel has a “very clear message” to their enemies.
“We are saying to them, look what's happening in Gaza – you are going to get the same treatment if you attack us. We are going to wipe you off the face of the Earth.”
Barkat’s comments came amid unconfirmed reports that there was an explosion at the Iranian Revolutionary Guard defense forces headquarters in Ashrat Abad, Tehran.
Israel has said it will step up its attacks on Gaza, two weeks after Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,400 Israelis.
Asked about a possible Gaza ground invasion on Saturday night, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said: "We will deepen our attacks to minimize the dangers to our forces in the next stages of the war. We are going to increase the attacks, from today."
He spoke on the same day aid agencies said a first 20-truck convoy entered Gaza.
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Meanwhile, Israeli troops clashed with Hezbollah fighters, exchanging fire along the Lebanon-Israel border. President Joe Biden and his team have reportedly warned Israel off widening the war to include Hezbollah, while at the same time, reaching out via diplomatic channels with Arab partners to try to rein the terrorist group in, according to the New York Times. Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, has reportedly been a strong proponent of a preemptive strike on Hezbollah.