Israeli minister in fresh threat to 'return Lebanon to Stone Age'

Visiting the tense occupied Shebaa Farms region on Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah against “making a mistake.”

“You have made mistakes in the past, you have paid very heavy prices. If… an escalation or conflict develops here, we will return Lebanon to the Stone Age. We will not hesitate to use all our power, and erode every inch of Hezbollah and Lebanon if we have to,” said Gallant after touring the area with senior Israeli army officers.

“Don’t mistake us, we don’t want war, but we are ready to protect our citizens, our soldiers, and our sovereignty,” Gallant added.

Gallant observed the location where Hezbollah recently set up two tents, one of them inside the occupied Shebaa Farms. Gallant also held an assessment with Israeli officers and was updated on “the defensive efforts being made along the border, and of the progress of the construction of the barrier that is currently being carried out,” his office said, referring to plans to replace Israel’s border fence with a taller concrete wall.