Since Hamas launched its October 7 assault on Israel, Hezbollah has been engaging in skirmishes with Israeli forces near the Israel-Lebanon border. Now, the Israeli defense minister says the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has killed over 100 Hezbollah terrorists since the start of its war against Hamas. 

The news comes amid fears that Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, might become more involved in the fighting. Israelis living close to the northern border have been forced to evacuate amid consistent rocket attacks coming from Hezbollah.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says the IDF has killed more than 100 Hezbollah members, and destroyed dozens of its observation posts, weapons depots and other sites amid the fighting in northern Israel.

“The combination of all these tactical achievements will translate into a different situation, which will later allow the return of the residents [of northern Israel] under completely different conditions than when we started this campaign,” Gallant says following an assessment in northern Israel.

The situation remains tense as Hezbollah is seizing on the opportunity the war presents to attack Israel. Gallant has warned the terrorist group that there will be severe repercussions if it continues to take shots at Israelis.

Israel, while continuing operations against Hamas terrorists in Gaza, has not been ignoring threats along its other borders, particularly Lebanon, home of the terror group Hezbollah. On Friday, as Americans observed Veterans Day, Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned an increasingly restive Hezbollah against making what he termed a "grave mistake."

As Hezbollah continues to carry out attacks on northern Israel, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warns that the terror group is “close to making a grave mistake” that will end with Beirut residents fleeing their homes.

“I am saying here to the citizens of Lebanon, I already see the citizens in Gaza walking with white flags along the coast and moving south,” says Gallant during a visit to an army base on the northern border.

“Hezbollah is dragging Lebanon into a war that may happen, and it is making mistakes,” he says.

“If it makes mistakes of this kind, the ones who will pay the price are first of all the citizens of Lebanon. What we are doing in Gaza we know how to do in Beirut,” Gallant warns.

Gallant's warning echoes comments he made earlier in which he affirmed that the IDF is ready to respond if Hezbollah escalates its attacks.

In his speech, made alongside the commander of the IDF's Division 91 and other senior officers serving in the region, the defense minister stated that Hezbollah is no longer making just provocations, but aggression, following several exchanges of fire over the border throughout October and early November.

"Our pilots are sitting in their cockpits, their aircraft facing north," Gallant said, stressing that the IDF already has mobilized enough forces for its goals in the South against Hamas, and the Israel Air Force has plenty of power to spare. "We haven't even used 10% of the IAF's power in Gaza."

The saber-rattling raises questions about Hezbollah’s plans in the region. The organization has repeatedly indicated that it would launch a more aggressive assault, if it deemed it necessary. But, so far, it has limited itself to rocket attacks and smaller clashes with the IDF.

Still, the fact that the IDF has killed so many Hezbollah operatives might cause the group to rethink the possibility of invading Israel. The organization has gone toe to toe with the IDF in the past, and it did not end up well for them or Lebanon. However, that war also showed that Hezbollah is a considerable threat given its extensive training and funding coming from Iran. It is also possible that the terrorist outfit could remain overconfident in its ability to cause serious harm to Israel. So far, the situation remains unpredictable.