Israel said it does not want war in Lebanon but could send its neighbour “back to the Stone Age”, as the UN’s humanitarian chief warned such a conflict would be “potentially apocalyptic”.
The border between the two countries has seen daily exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants ever since the October 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian group, which triggered the war in Gaza.
Fears those exchanges could escalate into full-blown war have only grown in recent weeks as cross-border attacks intensified, and after Israel revealed it had approved plans for a Lebanon offensive, prompting new threats from Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said during a visit to Washington on Wednesday that his country could “take Lebanon back to the Stone Age, but we don’t want to do it”.
“We do not want war, but we are preparing for every scenario,” he told reporters.
“Hezbollah understands very well that we can inflict massive damage in Lebanon if a war is launched.”
Israel’s allies, including key defence backer the United States, have been keen to avoid such an eventuality. A US official said Washington was engaged in “fairly intensive conversations” with Israel, Lebanon and other actors, and believed that no side sought a “major escalation”.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Gallant on Tuesday that another war with Hezbollah could have “terrible consequences for the Middle East”, and urged a diplomatic solution.
Germany on Wednesday, echoing a Canadian warning from the day before, “urgently requested” its citizens in Lebanon leave the country.
“The current heightened tensions in the border area with Israel could escalate further at any time,” updated foreign ministry advice in Berlin said.
UN humanitarian coordinator Martin Griffiths told reporters in Geneva on Wednesday that Lebanon was “the flashpoint beyond all flashpoints”.
“It’s beyond planning. It’s potentially apocalyptic,” warned Griffiths, whose term ends this week.