Katz warns Hezbollah: Join Iran strike, face severe blow

Defense Minister Israel Katz addressed Israeli operations in Lebanon on Tuesday, warning that if Hezbollah joins an Iranian attack on Israel, the terror organization will face a severe response.

"To understand what we've done in Lebanon, it's worth reading the following carefully: We have brought unprecedented security to the residents of the North," Katz said. "We established a security zone inside Lebanese territory covering 700 square kilometers, from the Mediterranean coast in the west to Beaufort, the Ali Taher ridge, and the outskirts of Mount Hermon in the east, as protection against raids and direct fire on northern communities."

Katz noted that "all 200,000 Shiite residents up to the Yellow Line were evacuated, and the IDF is operating in the area and dismantling terror infrastructure above and below ground. We destroyed the massive tunnels built there as an invasion threat to the Galilee, and as part of Operation Silver Plowshare, demolished more than 60 Lebanese villages in the sector, including 23,000 houses that served as Hezbollah positions in every respect and threatened the safety of Galilee residents."

According to him, "There has never been such a reality in southern Lebanon, even compared to past security zones: a security zone empty of residents and clean of terror infrastructure and houses. This is the new security concept that the Prime Minister and I are leading together with the IDF against jihadist forces."

"The IDF will not move from the security zone as long as Hezbollah is not disarmed throughout Lebanon, and the threat to northern residents is removed," Katz made clear. "Alongside this, we are leading a determined policy that establishes that any fire or launching of drones and UAVs toward Israeli cities, moshavim or kibbutzim, will be answered with a powerful response toward the Dahieh quarter in Beirut. The status of Dahieh in Beirut is like that of Avivim, Misgav Am and Kiryat Shmona. This policy creates deterrence, and the IDF is prepared to respond with full force if it is violated."

"If Hezbollah joins an Iranian attack on Israel, it will be hit hard," Katz warned in closing. "The IDF is prepared to carry out a maneuver toward additional areas in the Nabatieh and Litani sectors, and any territory captured will be evacuated of its residents, treated in the same manner, and permanently become part of Israel's security zone in Lebanon."