Israeli officials vowed a “harsh” response against Hezbollah after the Iran-backed terror group allegedly launched a rocket that killed 12 youths — as the US believes a retaliatory attack will not lead to an all-out war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his nation is preparing an appropriate response to Hezbollah during a speech on Monday in front of mourners at the occupied Golan Heights, the site of the deadly missile attack over the weekend.
“These children are our children … The state of Israel will not, and cannot, let this pass,” he said. “Our response will come and it will be harsh.”
Netanyahu’s warning was echoed by Danny Danon, Israel’s new ambassador to the United Nations, who appeared on “Fox and Friends” on Monday morning to lay out his nation’s plan.
“[Israel’s] response will be swift, harsh and painful, and we are now picking the targets,” he said of the looming retaliatory strike.
“I’m sure Hezbollah will learn their lesson,” Danon warned.
The Israeli official, however, said Israel has no “intentions of a full war,” something US officials have expressed concerns over since Hezbollah began firing against the Jewish state on Oct. 8 in solidarity with Hamas.
White House spokesman John Kirby reiterated on Monday that the US stands behind Israel in condemning Saturday’s attack on an Israeli soccer field that also left 40 others injured, all between the ages of 10 and 20.
During a press conference, Kirby said that like Israel, it believes Hezbollah did in fact fire the rocket despite the Iran-backed terror group’s denial, noting that an attack like that is unacceptable.
“No nation can be expected to tolerate the kind of severe threats that Israel is facing,” Kirby told reporters while claiming diplomacy would be the best approach forward rather than war.
“We certainly don’t believe that — as horrific as this attack was over the weekend — that it needs to result in any kind of escalation or broader risk of a bigger war,” he added.
Since Saturday’s attack, the Israeli military has conducted several airstrikes in southern Lebanon, including one drone strike on Monday that reportedly killed two Hezbollah operatives.
The drone attack was preceded by a series of airstrikes that destroyed several of Hezbollah’s weapons caches and infrastructure in Lebanon.
The near-daily skirmishes along the northern border have led to the displacement of tens of thousands of people in northern Israel and southern Lebanon.
As of Sunday, the conflict has resulted in the death of 24 Israeli civilians, as well as 18 IDF soldiers and reservists.
Hezbollah estimates that 381 of its members have been killed in Lebanon and Syria, as well as dozens of civilians.
