Price for Hezbollah Must be High: Israeli General

A day after the pager explosions in Lebanon that killed 18 and injured some 3,000 others, the Israeli Chief of General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi issued a chilling threat to the Shia Group, Hezbollah. 

"We still have many capabilities that we have not yet activated. We saw some of these things here.... The rule is that every time we work on a certain stage, the next two stages are already ready to advance. At each stage, the price for Hezbollah must be high,” the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi said on Wednesday.

The statement was made during a situational assessment held by him at the Northern Command with members of the General Staff Forum, and approved offensive and defensive plans for the northern arena.

"We are very determined to create the security conditions that will return the residents to their homes, to the communities, with a high level of security, and we are ready to do all that is required to bring about these things. Throughout the war for almost a year, we have been fighting in Gaza with two main goals, as well as others - dismantling Hamas and returning the hostages. We have achieved a lot, and we still have further forward to go,” he added.

Israel hasn't commented on the attack that turned Hezbollah communication devices into explosives on Tuesday.

Experts and Israeli media allege Mossad's involvement, citing similarities to past operations like the 1970s revenge killings following the Munich Olympics massacre after more than ten Israeli athletes were killed.

Mossad's history includes targeted killings of Iranian nuclear scientists and officials, but also mistakes like the killing of Moroccan waiter Ahmed Bouchikhi in 1973.

The pager blasts were “another stunning display of Israeli intelligence prowess,” John Hannah of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America was quoted as saying by reports. Hannah was also a former national security adviser to U.S. vice president Dick Cheney.

The operation likely required access to Hezbollah's communications and device manipulation.

Hannah said Mossad has demonstrated "a repeated ability not only to deeply penetrate its worst adversaries' most sensitive networks, but then execute operations of exquisite precision and lethality whenever it chooses to do so.”

Recent events, including the killing of senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, highlight Israel's reliance on Mossad. Analysts debate the operation's strategic goal, with some seeing it as a boost to Israeli deterrence and others questioning its impact.

Hezbollah vows revenge, raising fears of all-out war

Hezbollah has condemned Israel for the recent pager explosions, holding them "fully responsible" and vowing to seek revenge. In a stern warning, Hezbollah cautioned Israel to prepare for imminent attacks.

Iran has also pledged retaliation, submitting a scathing letter to the UN reserving the right to respond. The Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, suffered severe injuries in the September 17 attack, losing one eye and damaging the other when a pager exploded in his hands.

Iran's Foreign Ministry strongly denounced Israel's actions as "mass murder," intensifying regional tensions. The incident has sparked heightened animosity between Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran, raising concerns of escalating violence.