Hassan Nasrallah claimed the IDF’s strength has been “significantly declining” since it “lost” the Second Lebanon War.

By:  World Israel News Staff

Hezbollah terror chief Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel would be “sent back to the Stone Age” in a future war with Lebanon, echoing an identical threat made by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant only last week.

In a televised address commemorating the 17th anniversary of the Second Lebanon War’s end, Nasrallah claimed Israel’s military strength has been on the decline since its “defeat” in that war.

“I say to the enemy: The evidence is clear, you will be returned to the Stone Age if you go to war,” the Al-Manar website cited the terror chief as saying.

His remarks come in the wake of several cross-border microaggressions initiated by Hezbollah over the last several weeks, including firing an anti-tank missile over the border, igniting fireworks at Israeli troops, and scaling the border wall to steal an IDF surveillance camera.

Last week, on a tour of the border, Gallant warned Nasrallah against making mistakes.

“I warn Hezbollah, Nasrallah – not to make a mistake. You have made mistakes in the past, you have paid very heavy prices. If, God forbid, an escalation or conflict develops here, we will return Lebanon to the Stone Age. We will not hesitate to use all our power and wear down every inch of Hezbollah and Lebanon if need be.”

“Make no mistake: We don’t want war, but we are ready to protect our citizens, our soldiers and our sovereignty.”

When touring Israel’s northern border last Tuesday,  Defense Minister Yoav Galant assessed the situation in the Mount Dov area, near Lebanon, together with the IDF Northern Command.

“I arrived this morning at the northern border, in order to closely follow the events that have been happening here lately,” he said in a statement to the press after the tour, referring to recent violations by the terror group, an Iranian proxy.

Gallant was given an overview of the defense efforts being made along the border and of the progress of the construction of the barrier that is being carried out.

“I met with the commanders of the IDF and the fighters – we have excellent commanders and determined fighters,” he said.

“We will know how to protect the citizens of Israel and the State of Israel in any way. The enemy needs to understand that when it comes to Israel’s security – we are all united.”

One of the several scenarios the IDF considers likely in a wider confrontation with Hezbollah is that the home front would have to absorb thousands of rocket strikes a day, Israel Hayom reported last Monday.

The Iranian proxy terror organization has recently stepped up its provocations on Israel’s border with Lebanon, and the IDF has been drilling its troops in case of a serious challenge to Israel’s deterrence.

According to information reaching the Hebrew daily, in one scenario that top officers think is both “severe” and “reasonable,” Hezbollah would manage to fire about 6,000 rockets at Israel in the first days of a hot war. As the IAF delivers its payloads, the numbers would decrease, but would still stand at some 1,500 “effective” attacks per day, meaning those hitting populated areas or strategic targets.

The possibility of hundreds of civilian deaths and thousands of wounded pales before the threat of a successful strike on the country’s power plants, however.

(worldisraelnews.com)