Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz responded yesterday to Iran’s warning that Israel should not launch a full-scale war on Hezbollah in Lebanon or else an “an obliterating war will ensue.” On June 29, Katz wrote on X: “Iran threatens today to destroy Israel if Israel fully responds to Hezbollah attacks from Lebanon. My response to Iran is clear: 1. If Hezbollah does not cease its fire and withdraw from southern Lebanon, we will act against it with full force until security is restored and [Israeli] residents can return to their homes. 2. A regime that threatens destruction deserves to be destroyed.”
Katz’s “clear” response seems to be that Israel’s full response includes a full-scale war and that Hezbollah has to withdraw some unspecified further distance inside Lebanon. Then, without any apparent attempt at irony, after issuing a threat of full-scale war, he contends that Iran deserves to be destroyed for such threats.
