Former Minister of the Israeli War Council, Benny Gantz, threatened on Tuesday that his country is capable of oppressing Lebanon and weakening a large part of Hezbollah’s military capabilities within days, warning also that Tel Aviv “will also pay a heavy price.”
Gantz, leader of the National Unity Party (left), asked in a speech at the Herzliya 2024 security conference: “Are you talking about a power outage in Israel?” He added: “We have the ability to darken Lebanon (by destroying the electricity network), dismantle its infrastructure, and weaken a large part of Hezbollah’s military capabilities within days,” according to the Israeli Channel 7.
But Gantz, the most prominent candidate to form the next government, also acknowledged that “if we get there (all-out war), the price here in Israel will also be high.” He added: "If such a war breaks out, we will not allow Hezbollah to remain a major and direct threat to our towns."
He continued: "We must prepare for a scenario where infrastructure is targeted and incidents lead to many casualties. This is the price of war that is best avoided, but if we are forced to fight it, we must not back down."
The minister in the Israeli War Council considered that "with all the prices (that can be paid), the return of the residents of (the settlements of) Kiryat Shmona and Metulla to their homes by the first of next September is the real victory."
Fears have recently escalated in Israel about the repercussions of a possible power outage in the country, if the daily confrontations between Tel Aviv and Hezbollah slide into an all-out war.
On Thursday, the director of the Israeli State Electricity Company (Noga), Shaul Goldstein, said that Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah could easily bring down the electricity grid in Israel.
He added: "We are not in a good position and are not prepared for a real war with Hezbollah. After 72 hours without electricity, it will be impossible to live in Israel," according to the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
Within 72 hours of Goldstein's warning, Israelis' search for electricity generators increased five-fold, and some purchased power stations that could be charged with solar panels, according to the Hebrew Channel 12 (private) on Sunday.