DM Gallant says Hezbollah may attack before Iran, says Hezbollah 'can’t even imagine what might happen’

Netanyahu tells citizens to 'stay calm and composed' despite threats

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Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Israeli troops on Wednesday that Hezbollah could launch a more significant attack against Israel than the Iranian regime.

Speaking to IDF soldiers during a military drill in the north designed to simulate a conflict with Hezbollah, Gallant said the terror group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, may cause the Lebanese state to “pay heavy prices.”

“As things stand, Nasrallah may drag Lebanon into paying extremely heavy prices. They can’t even imagine what might happen,” Gallant told troops of the 646th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade.

The defense minister said that a miscalculation by Hezbollah could lead to war.

“This may also deteriorate into a war. It’s not theoretical, it’s real,” Gallant told the soldiers.

CNN suggested in another report that Hezbollah may launch an attack on Israel independently of Iran in the coming days, adding that the Lebanese terror proxy “is moving faster than Iran in its planning” and expected to attack Israel in a matter of days.

Previously, both U.S. and Israeli officials expected Iran and Hezbollah to coordinate their attacks for maximum impact. However, now officials believe that Iran is moving more cautiously, as it attempts to avoid action that could lead to a full-scale war.

Analysts believe that Hezbollah is feeling an increasing urgency to attack in a more significant way, as Israel has been consistently eliminating its high-level and mid-level officers. They believe Hezbollah forces are feeling pressure to respond in a show of force to demonstrate their preparedness.

Hezbollah has been threatening to retaliate since Israeli forces targeted and killed Nasrallah's right-hand man, senior military commander Fuad Shukr, in Beirut last week. During Shukr's funeral, Nasrallah said the war against Israel had entered a new phase.

He said Israel “does not know where the retaliation will come from,” and also warned that Israelis who celebrated Shukr’s death would soon cry.

“You will laugh a little and cry a lot, as you do not know which redlines you have crossed,” Nasrallah warned.

On Wednesday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi said that Israel is on high alert as it awaits a response by Hezbollah and Iran.

“We will be able to launch a swift attack anywhere in Lebanon, anywhere in Gaza, anywhere in the Middle East, above ground and below ground,” Halevi said to Israeli Air Force (IAF) personnel at Tel Nof Airbase.

“We will send a very clear message to our enemies, those who attack us, those who in every speech talk about how they seek to destroy the State of Israel. We will strike them, and we will continue to grow stronger.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for Israeli citizens to remain calm despite the threats from Iran and Hezbollah.

“We are continuing forward to victory. I know that Israeli citizens are on alert, and I ask you one thing – stay calm and composed,” Netanyahu said while speaking to new recruits at the Tel Hashomer military recruitment base.

“We are prepared for both defense and offense, we are striking our enemies and are also determined to defend ourselves.”