Gallant warns Hezbollah: Israel can ‘copy-paste’ Gaza war to Beirut

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant receives a situational assessment at the IDF’s Northern Command base on January 5, 2024. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Israel isn’t afraid to go to war with the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tells the Wall Street Journal and warns the Iran-backed group that the destruction in Gaza can be “copy-pasted” to  Beirut.

Since October 8, Hezbollah and allied Palestinian terror factions have engaged in daily border clashes with Israeli troops, targeting civilian communities with drone, rocket and missile attacks and forcing tens of thousands of Israelis to evacuate.

While Israel’s priority isn’t to get entangled in a war with Hezbollah, Gallant says that “80,000 people need to be able to go back to their homes safely,” and so if all else fails, “we are willing to sacrifice.”

“They see what is happening in Gaza,” he says. “They know we can copy-paste to Beirut.”