Israel's Minister of Economy Nir Barkat issued an ominous threat to Iran and Lebanon in an interview published on Saturday, saying his country would "wipe" them "off the face of the Earth" if Hezbollah opens up a northern front in the Hamas war.
On October 7, Hamas, which the United States designates as a terrorist organization, led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest-ever airstrikes on Gaza. As of Sunday, more than 1,400 people had been killed in Israel, the Associated Press reported. The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 4,000, according to AP.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country is "at war" and has cut off supplies of food, fuel, electricity and medicine into Gaza. As of Saturday, Israel has allowed some aid into Gaza through Egypt. Israel has called up 360,000 army reservists as it prepares for an expected ground offensive into the densely populated territory, which is estimated to be home to about 2.3 million people.
Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group that the U.S. also designates as a terrorist organization, has exchanged near daily artillery fire across the border with Israel since the initial Hamas attack. The barrage of artillery continued on Sunday, with both sides firing across the border. While Lebanese leaders say they do not want to be drawn into war, Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, holds significant political power and support in the country.
Barkat, in an interview with the Daily Mail, warned that Israel would view an escalation in Hezbollah's actions as an attack by Iran.
"The plan of Iran is to attack Israel on all fronts. If we find they intend to target Israel, we will not just retaliate to those fronts, but we will go to the head of the snake, which is Iran," he said.
Barkat threatened "we are going to make sure they pay a heavy price if, God forbid, they open the northern front."
"Lebanon and Hezbollah are going to pay a heavy price, similar to what Hamas is going to pay. But that's not enough," he said. "The very clear message is that we are going to be going after the heads of Iran as well. When will we do that? When we decide."
Barkat continued: "Israel has a very clear message to our enemies. We are saying to them, look what's happening in Gaza—you are going to get the same treatment if you attack us. We are going to wipe you off the face of the Earth."
Newsweek reached out to Iran's permanent mission at the United Nations in New York, the Lebanese embassy in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. State Department for comment.
The U.S. State Department previously told Newsweek that Hezbollah and other groups should not get involved in the conflict. "Any decision by Hezbollah or other actors to drag Lebanon into this conflict would have terrible consequences for the Lebanese people. They deserve better," a spokesperson said.
"No one wants a second or third front, including when it comes to Lebanon," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday in an interview with NBC's Meet the Press. "We've sent a very strong message to try to deter Hezbollah, deter Iran more directly."
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib on Friday warned Israel that it would also suffer if the war were to escalate. He said that the situation could become "uncontrollable," suggesting that the Lebanese government would not be able to prevent Hezbollah and other groups from attacking if there is not a swift end to hostilities in Gaza.
"The damage would be worse for them [Israel] as much as for us," he said in an interview with CNN, urging Israel to declare a ceasefire in Gaza. Bou Habib warned that, "their country is not going to be safe. All of these resistance forces have a lot of weapons and they're going to use them."
On Saturday, Hezbollah's deputy chief, Naim Qassem, said that his group was ready to confront Israel directly on the battlefield.
"If necessary, we will be present at the battlefield and part of the confrontation in a bid to prevent Israel's victory," he said, Hezbollah's television station Al-Manar reported. "Let it be clear that whenever developments require our interference we will do so...Let the enemy know that we are fully ready."
Jonathan Conricus, a spokesperson for Israel's military, said Sunday that Hezbollah is "dragging Lebanon into a war that it will gain nothing from, but stands to lose a lot," according to Lebanese news site Naharnet.
He said that the Lebanese militant group is "playing a very, very dangerous game. They're escalating the situation. We see more and more attacks every day. Is the Lebanese state really willing to jeopardize what is left of Lebanese prosperity and Lebanese sovereignty for the sake of terrorists in Gaza?"
Lebanon officially views Israel as an enemy state. In 2006, Hezbollah and Israel fought a 34-day war that is estimated to have left some 165 Israelis and more than 1,100 Lebanese dead. Already, more than 20 people, including several civilians and journalists, have died in Lebanon due to cross-border clashes with Israel since October 7.
While many Lebanese are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and view Hezbollah favorably, few would be eager to see their country enter a full-scale war with Israel. The country continues to suffer from a crippling economic crisis, with more than half of the country living below the poverty line, according to the World Bank. Although popular with some, Hezbollah faces substantial opposition from many Lebanese as well.
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Sunday described the Middle East's current situation as a "powder keg," warning that any Israeli "miscalculation" will have "heavy and bitter consequences" for the region, Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported.
"If the U.S. and the Israeli regime do not stop their crimes against humanity immediately, there will be a possibility of anything at any moment and the region may spin out of control," he said.
Firas Maksad, a senior fellow and director of strategic outreach at the Middle East Institute, told Newsweek on Friday that currently the tensions between Hezbollah and Israel have remained relatively contained.
"The challenge for the U.S. administration is that Iran prefers amorphous grey-zone warfare, using various militias across the region to strike at the U.S. and Israel rather than doing so directly. Iran's direct involvement remains very unlikely, unless its mainland comes under attack," he said.
Update, 10/22/23 at 11:42 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Blinken.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jason Lemon is a Weekend Editor at Newsweek based in Brooklyn, New York. Prior to taking on the editor role, Jason's reporting focused on ... Read more
