Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat said in an interview on Sunday that the Israeli army is ready to “eliminate” the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah and strike Iran if they open up a “northern front”.
“The plan of Iran is to attack Israel on all fronts,” Barkat told the UK-based Daily Mail on Sunday, adding:
“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.”
Barkat also said that Lebanon and Hezbollah, which is backed by Tehran, “are going to pay a heavy price, similar to what Hamas is going to pay.”
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Israel would go “after the heads of Iran” if necessary, the minister warned.
“Israel has a very clear message to our 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.”
For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned Washington and Tel Aviv that, if Israel does not stop its continuous airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip, “anything is possible at any moment and the region will go out of control.”
Iran’s top diplomat added that further escalation would have “far-reaching repercussions.”
On October 7, Israel launched its latest military aggression on the besieged and impoverished Gaza Strip. The number of Palestinians killed and wounded in the Israeli war on Gaza rose to nearly 5,000 killed, and over 14,000 wounded.
On October 9, Israel imposed a “total siege” on the Gaza Strip, blocking the entry of food, water, medicine, fuel, and electricity.
(PC, RT)
