Israeli defense minister warns an attack on Iran would be ‘lethal’ and ‘surprising’

JERUSALEM — Israel’s defense minister warned on Wednesday that his country’s retaliation for a recent Iranian missile attack will be “lethal” and “surprising,” while the Israeli military pushed ahead with a large-scale operation in northern Gaza and a ground offensive in Lebanon against Hezbollah terrorists.

On the diplomatic front, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden held their first call in seven weeks. Vice President Kamala Harris also joined the 30-minute call, according to the White House.

“It was direct, it was productive,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who added that the leaders discussed a long list of issues on the call, including Israel’s deliberations on how it will respond to Iran.

Netanyahu’s office, meantime, confirmed that the prime minister had recently spoken with former President Donald Trump.

The Republican called Netanyahu last week and “congratulated him on the intense and determined operations that Israel carried out against Hezbollah,” according to Netanyahu’s office.

The continuing cycle of destruction and death in Gaza, unleashed by Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on southern Israel, comes as Israel expands a weeklong ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon and considers a major retaliatory strike on Iran following Iran’s Oct. 1 missile barrage.

“Our strike will be lethal, precise and above all, surprising. They won’t understand what happened and how. They will see the results,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said during a speech to troops. “Whoever strikes us will be harmed and pay a price.”

Iran fired dozens of missiles at Israel on Oct. 1 which the United States helped fend off. Biden has said he would not support a retaliatory strike on sites related to Tehran’s nuclear program.

On Wednesday, Hezbollah claimed a rocket attack that killed two people in the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona. The town’s acting mayor, Ofir Yehezkeli, said the two killed were a couple walking their dogs.

The war began just over a year ago, when Hamas-led terrorists stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. They still hold around 100 hostages, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Israel’s offensive has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not say how many were fighters.

Israel says it only targets terrorists and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it fights in residential areas.

Netanyahu has vowed to keep fighting until “total victory” over Hamas and the return of all hostages.

On Tuesday, Netanyahu said Lebanon would meet the same fate as Gaza if its people did not rise up against Hezbollah.

In recent weeks Israel has waged a heavy air campaign across large parts of Lebanon, targeting what it says are Hezbollah rocket launchers and other terrorist sites. A series of strikes had killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and most of his top commanders.

The Israeli military said Wednesday that Hezbollah has fired more than 12,000 rockets, missiles and drones at Israel in the past year.