Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari addresses Israel: ‘Hezbollah bringing us to brink of escalation’
Iran-backed Hezbollah last week launched the largest volleys of rockets and drones yet in the eight months it has been exchanging fire with the Israeli military, in parallel with the Gaza war.
By REUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF JUNE 16, 2024 23:12 Updated: JUNE 16, 2024 23:28
IDF SPOKESMAN Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stands in a Hamas terror tunnel in the northern Gaza Strip, earlier this month. There must be a process that results in no terror tunnels, no terror leaders, no anti-Israel brainwashing in schools, no terror training, and no weapons, the writer asserts.(photo credit: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS)Intensified cross-border fire from Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement into Israel could trigger serious escalation, the Israeli military said on Sunday.
“Hezbollah’s increasing aggression is bringing us to the brink of what could be a wider escalation, one that could have devastating consequences for Lebanon and the entire region,” Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a video statement in English.
In his announcement, Hagari said that Hezbollah has launched over 5,000 rockets, anti-tank missiles and explosive UAVs into Israel since October 7.
“Hezbollah is jeopardizing the future of Lebanon – so that it can be a shield for Hamas. A shield for the Hamas terrorists who murdered the elderly, raped women, burned children and kidnapped Jews, Muslims, and Christians – during their massacre on October 7,” Hagari continued.
Israeli firefighters try to extinguish a fire after missiles launched from Lebanon hit open areas near the northern Israeli city of Safed, on June 12, 2024. (credit: MICHAEL GILADI/FLASH90)
Hagari then said that as a result of Hezbollah not abiding by UN Security Council Resolution 1701, Hagari said that the IDF will take the “necessary steps” to protect Israel’s civilians.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701
UN Resolution 1701 called for a zone free of armed personnel besides the army of Lebanon. It was instituted at the end of the Second Lebanon War in 2006, when a ceasefire between the different parties was reached.
“[The Security Council] calls for Israel and Lebanon to support a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution based on the following principles and elements:…the establishment between the Blue Line and the Litani river of an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the Government of Lebanon,” the resolution stated.
Iran-backed Hezbollah last week launched the largest volleys of rockets and drones yet in the eight months it has been exchanging fire with the Israeli military, in parallel with the Gaza war.
The US and France are working on a negotiated settlement to the hostilities along Lebanon’s southern border. Hezbollah says it will not halt fire unless Israel’s military offensive on Gaza stops.
“October 7th cannot happen again — on any one of Israel’s borders. Israel has a duty to defend the people of Israel. We will fulfill that duty — at all costs,” Hagari concluded.
Content retrieved from: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-806511.
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