Benjamin Netanyahu: "IDF prepared for 'Intensive war' if Hezbollah violates Lebanon ceasefire"

In his first interview since the Lebanon ceasefire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that any significant violation by Hezbollah would lead to an "intensive war." Speaking to Channel 14, Netanyahu explained, “I’ve instructed the IDF that if there’s a major breach of the agreement, we won’t just carry out surgical strikes as we have been doing, but we will prepare for an all-out intensive war."

Netanyahu also revealed that he was meeting with his advisors to discuss the next steps in the ongoing conflict on multiple fronts.

He stressed that the ceasefire in Lebanon could be short-lived and that Israel acted decisively on its first day. When asked about the lack of a buffer zone in southern Lebanon, Netanyahu pointed out that the “threat of a ground invasion has been eliminated,” thanks to the IDF’s successful destruction of both aboveground infrastructure and underground tunnels along the border.

On the topic of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Netanyahu refrained from guaranteeing that Iran would never acquire a nuclear weapon, but affirmed, “I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from becoming nuclear.”

Netanyahu also discussed the return of northern residents, stating that their return would be gradual, depending on their confidence in the government's actions.