on June 20, 2024, 10:50 pm
Israeli Minister of Religious Affairs Michael Malchieli told Hebrew media on 19 June that Tel Aviv is preparing itself for a scenario of “mass burials” resulting from a potential expansion of the conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
"We are busy with many things related to the war, in preparation, unfortunately, also for whatever – may it not happen – in the north," the minister said during an interview with Channel 14.
When asked by the host if this could entail “mass burials,” Malchieli confirmed the Israeli death toll could witness a sharp rise in the event of total war with Hezbollah.
“We in the ministry are holding meetings and preparations for bigger things in the north, yes,” he added.
The minister’s comments came on the same day as a speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
“The enemy must wait for us by air, land, and sea. We repeat: If war is imposed on Lebanon, the resistance will fight without rules, controls, or ceilings,” Nasrallah said.
“Storming the Galilee is a possibility that remains present within the framework of any war that the occupation may launch against Lebanon,” he added, referencing his 12-year-old promise that Hezbollah will invade Israel’s north if Tel Aviv chooses to attack.
A day before Nasrallah’s speech, Hezbollah released a nine-minute video of footage captured by its drones. The drone footage showed several sensitive targets across the north, including factories associated with Israel’s Rafael defense technology firm, as well as warships and a submarine station inside the port of Haifa.
The video resulted in panic across Israel.
“The Hezbollah video conveys an unequivocal message to Israel, that the party is present inside Israel by the air, land and sea, and is planning what comes next, and that is capable of carrying out severe strikes,” Israel’s Channel 14 news outlet said, adding that the filming of this footage is “an Israeli security failure of the first degree … The situation in the north is much worse than we imagine.”
On Wednesday, the Israeli army announced that battle plans for an expanded war against Lebanon have been approved.
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