Israel will attack Iran if Hezbollah joins Hamas in war, warns Israeli economy minister

In an interview with UK news outlet 'The Mail' on Sunday, Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat said that Israel would attack Iran, if its Lebanon-based terrorist proxy Hezbollah opens a second front in the north to join the Hamas war against Israel.

Speaking in no uncertain terms, Barkat, who is a member of the Likud party, said that Iran was “the head of the snake,” as it plans for its proxies, including Hamas, to encircle Israel.

“The plan of Iran is to attack Israel on all fronts. If we find they intend to target Israel, we will not just retaliate to those fronts, but we will go to the head of the snake, which is Iran,” Barkat said, threatening that Iran would pay “a heavy price.”

“The ayatollahs in Iran are not going to sleep [well] at night, we are going to make sure they pay a heavy price if, God forbid, they open the northern front,” Barkat declared.

Addressing Iran’s leadership, he added that Lebanon and Hezbollah would pay a heavy price and that Israel would “wipe you off the face of the earth.”

“Lebanon and Hezbollah are going to pay a heavy price, similar to what Hamas is going to pay. But that's not enough. The very clear message is that we are going to be going after the heads of Iran as well. When will we do that? When we decide. Israel has a very clear message to our enemies. We are saying to them, look what's happening in Gaza – you are going to get the same treatment if you attack us. We are going to wipe you off the face of the earth,” Barkat stated.

His comments echoed those of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, who visited Israel on Sunday with a bipartisan group of ten U.S. senators.

“We’re here today to give Israel what they need to do the job of destroying the modern day version of Nazis – Hamas,” Graham said. “We’re here today to tell Iran, ‘We’re watching you. If this war grows, it’s coming to your backyard. There won’t be two fronts. There will be three.’”

“If there is an effort to unleash Hezbollah on the Jewish state to destroy it, my attention will be to Tehran,” Graham warned.

Hezbollah has been increasing its attacks on Israel since the Oct. 7 massacre, which saw at least 2,000 Hamas terrorists brutally massacre 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals, as well as kidnap more than an additional 200 people to Gaza.

Israel has already evacuated 28 communities on the northern border with Lebanon, in addition to 25 communities in the south, and has been striking Hezbollah cells planning to launch missiles at Israel from Lebanon.

“If Hezbollah decides to enter the war, it will long for the Second Lebanon War,” Netanyahu told commando forces in northern Israel on Sunday. “It will be making the mistake of its life. We will hit it with a force it cannot even imagine, and the meaning for it and the Lebanese state will be devastating.”