Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday warned Iran and Hezbollah to avoid retaliatory attacks against Israel, while the Lebanese militia said it had attacked an Israeli training base with drones.
“Anyone who harms us in a way that has not happened before will likely be harmed in a way that has not happened before,” Gallant said, arguing that Israel is fighting for its existence in a hostile environment.
Israel is preparing for an attack following the assassinations in recent days of two prominent Israeli opponents: a Hezbollah commander in Beirut and the political leader of the Palestinian militant organization Hamas, Ismail Haniyehin Tehran.
“I hope they think carefully and don’t reach a point where they force us to cause significant damage and increase the likelihood of a war breaking out on other fronts,” Gallant said.
“We don’t want that, but we need to be prepared,” he added.
Meanwhile, two people were killed in a suspected Israeli attack in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
They were believed to be members of Hezbollah, Lebanese security sources said. The incident reportedly occurred in the border town of Taybeh.
The Israeli army announced that it had attacked Hezbollah members in the area.
Israeli forces reportedly attacked other pro-Iranian militia targets in the neighboring country. At the same time, numerous projectiles from Lebanon reportedly fell on Israeli territory.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Previously, Hezbollah said it used “swarms of assault drones on the Mahava Alon base” in northern Israel on Saturday night, “achieving a direct strike and causing confirmed casualties.”
The attack came in response to Israel’s killing of Hamas member Samer al-Haj on Friday in the Lebanese port city of Sidon.
Hezbollah also said it attacked a gathering of Israeli soldiers near the border.
The Israeli military confirmed that drones flew over Israeli territory from Lebanon. One was intercepted and others crashed, causing damage but no injuries were reported, the Army said.
A large-scale Hezbollah barrage against Israel has been expected for days, perhaps in coordination with an attack by Iran.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has vowed revenge following the targeted assassination of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut on July 30. Haniyeh’s death in the Iranian capital occurred on August 1, prompting the leadership in Tehran to also vow revenge on Israel.
Iran and Hamas blame Israel for both attacks. Israel claimed responsibility for the attack on Shukr but has not commented on the allegations relating to Haniyeh’s death.
