Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, warned Hezbollah on Wednesday. Yoav Gallant was on a Washington trip from Sunday to Wednesday. On the trip, Gallant met with top officials of US President Joe Biden and discussed the ongoing war with Hamas and the Hezbollah threat.

Dozens of countries have designated Hezbollah as a terrorist group. Hezbollah is a Shia terrorist group from Lebanon on the border with Israel. Since the war with Hamas broke out in October, Hezbollah has been attacking Israel in solidarity with Hamas.

Yoav Gallant’s Trip To Washington

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Israel’s defense minister landed in Washington on Sunday and met with his US counterpart, Llyod Austin, and other top officials. This was a crucial meeting as Israel faces a situation that could potentially turn into an all-out war with Hezbollah.

Yoav Gallant has warned that Israel’s military is fully capable of taking Lebanon “back to the stone age” in an all-out war with Hezbollah. But he insisted that Israel’s government prefers a diplomatic solution to the Israel-Hezbollah situation.

Gallant spoke to the reporters and said he discussed with top US officials his “day after” proposals for the governance of postwar Gaza. He said that the war-torn region would include local Palestinians, regional partners, and the US.

US President Joe Biden’s top officials told Gallant they would pause a shipment of heavy bombs for Israel. However, a senior US official told Reuters that the issue is still under review. Israel and the US are in discussion about the shipment that Biden paused in May.

After the meeting with the US counterpart and other senior officials, Yoav Gallant sent a message to Israel’s enemies. The message was that the US and Israel are strong allies. Israel and the US need to be on the same side in the face of threats from Iran and the axis of resistance in the Arab region.

Potential All-Out War With Hezbollah

Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire since October 2023, but an all-out war has not started. Both sides say that they are prepared for an all-out war, but none wants it. Israel seeking diplomatic solutions is a good means to de-escalate the Israel-Hezbollah situation.

In preparation for what could potentially be an all-out war, Israel has deployed extra troops on the northern border with Lebanon. Troops under the banner of the Northern Command recently conducted a major training drill scenario on Wednesday.

Gallant’s threat to Hezbollah that Israel could take Lebanon “back to the stone age” shouldn’t be taken lightly. Israel has defeated Hamas in all the areas of the Gaza Strip, and the intense phase of the war in Rafah is ending. Hezbollah should see the cost of war that Gaza is paying and learn from it. Because Israel is fully capable of taking Lebanon “back to the stone age.”