Israel Threatens to "Return Lebanon to the Stone Age"

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant conducted a tour along the border with Lebanon, warning that "Israel will return Lebanon to the Stone Age," coinciding with a diplomatic tour carried out by the Lebanese army. During the visit, he addressed the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, saying: "Do not make a mistake. I have made mistakes in the past and paid a very high price. If there is an escalation or conflict here, we will bring Lebanon back to the Stone Age. We will not hesitate to use all our power, and eliminate every inch of Hezbollah and Lebanon if we must." He added: "We do not want war, but we are prepared to protect our citizens, our soldiers, and our sovereignty." In recent weeks, there have been confrontations between civilians in Lebanon and at least one group of Hezbollah members and Israeli forces along the fortified border between the two countries.