Israeli Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi has warned that overwhelming force would be used in Lebanon during the next potential war.
Kochavi's threat was made on the eve of the arrival of US mediator Amos Holstein to Beirut, who is trying to revive the indirect negotiations on the maritime borders with Israel following the recent tensions.
Kochavi said the army is dealing with six battlefronts facing diverse threats, but the most dangerous of all is a nuclear threat.
Israel pinpointed thousands of targets in Lebanon in the event of a war, including Hezbollah headquarters and rocket-propelled grenades and rocket launchers.
"We will deal massive strikes in the war, but we will warn the residents and allow them to leave the areas. [...] I advise you to leave those areas because the attack force will be unimaginable – like nothing you have witnessed before," Kochavi said.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) called on the Lebanese military to protect it and guarantee its security after civilians threatened its soldiers.
UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti said attacks, threats, and acts of intimidation against UNIFIL peacekeepers are a matter of grave concern, urging the Lebanese army to ensure the safety, security, and freedom of movement of UNIFIL forces.
Tenenti announced that on Saturday, a group of men in civilian clothes arrested UNIFIL peacekeepers while they were on a routine patrol in the vicinity of Arab Louwaize village in southern Lebanon, adding that "civilians threatened peacekeepers and tried to disarm them."
He explained that under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, UNIFIL has complete freedom of movement and the right to patrol within its area of operations.
The UN Secretary-General and the Security Council strongly condemned the recent deprivation of freedom of movement, said Tenenti, noting that the total freedom of movement of UNIFIL and the security and safety of its personnel is an integral part of the effective implementation of its tasks under Resolution 1701.
"Our primary concern is maintaining stability in southern Lebanon in coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces and with the support of the residents of southern Lebanon," Tenenti stressed.
"We, in UNIFIL, appreciate our long and fruitful relations with the local community," he said, noting that "every day, peacekeepers carry out hundreds of patrols and operations aimed at maintaining stability in southern Lebanon and providing assistance to local communities."
