Hezbollah 'must pay a heavy price’: Israeli army chief

WASHINGTON

Israeli Army Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi warned Tuesday that Hezbollah "must pay a heavy price" for deciding on Oct. 7 to join Hamas in its war against Israel.

"Our forces are positioned here in order to locate the enemy and strike it. We are not waiting for anything. What we are saying is this: On the evening of Oct. 7, Hezbollah decided to join in, and for that, it must pay a heavy price," Halevi said at a situational assessment at the northern border.

His remarks came after the Lebanese group said Tuesday that it hit the Israeli army's Meron airbase in northern Israel in response to Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon.

"It’s clear that the first thing we need to do is push back the enemy.

"Then, create a very strong barrier, establish strong intelligence gathering capabilities, position strong forces in the area as well as a strong civilian emergency response unit and ensure there are bomb shelters and safe areas in homes and communities," Halevi added.

Tension has flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006.

The border tension comes amid an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed nearly 30,000 people following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.