Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz denounced on Sunday “Hezbollah’s attempts to violate the sovereignty of Israel,” assuring Israel would “not hesitate to respond to any attack” and threatening to “hold the Lebanese state accountable.” Gantz’s remarks came two days after the Iran-backed party claimed to have launched a drone named “Hassan” towards Israeli territory.
Here's what we know:
• Tension between Hezbollah and Israel had risen Friday, when for the second time in two days, a drone entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon, prompting the Israeli army to activate its air defense system and dispatch fighter jets. Later in the day, Hezbollah claimed to have launched the drone “Hassan,” and Israel flew military aircraft low over the Lebanese capital.
• “Iran is responsible for the arming process in Lebanon and the weakening of the country’s governance,” Gantz charged, speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany. “During this week, we have seen several attempts by Hezbollah to violate Israel’s sovereignty,” he added. “I have a clear message to Hezbollah: … if we have to respond to the attack to defend ourselves, we will do so and cause great damage to the terrorist organization and its entourage,” Gantz emphasized. “The Lebanese state will unfortunately have to be held responsible,” he warned, assuring that he would not hesitate to “act at any time and in any place to ensure Israel’s security.”
• For its part, Hezbollah again lauded the drone incursion. On Sunday, Nabil Kaouk, a member of Hezbollah’s central council, highlighted that “the equations have changed. Israeli drones used to violate Lebanese airspace. Today, it is the Lebanese drones that violate the space of the Hebrew state.”
• He also said “the drone ‘Hassan’ has carried a very significant message that the enemy has read well,” adding that the device “has shaken the Israeli military capabilities.” He described the incident as a “historic humiliation” for Israel.
• For his part, Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad said that “the ‘Hassan’ drone is just one of the means adopted by the Resistance to implement a struggle equation that prevents the enemy from attacking and undermining the security of our people, our state and our multi-faith society.”
• In a speech Wednesday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said that his party has “long since begun to produce drones” locally, stressing that the Shiite group does not need to import them from its Iranian benefactor. He also said that Hezbollah is capable of converting its missiles into precision warheads and that it had been doing this “for years” already.