Israeli foreign minister threatens Iran saying it 'deserves to be destroyed'

Iran warned that if Israel embarks on a "full-scale military aggression" in Lebanon, "an obliterating war will ensue."

JERUSALEM:

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has said that Iran' is worthy of destruction due to its s message of an "obliterating war."

⁠"A regime that threatens destruction deserves to be destroyed," Katz said in a post on X on Saturday.

He also said Israel will act with full force against Hezbollah if it does not stop firing at Israel from Lebanon and move away from the border.

Iran's UN mission said on Friday that if Israel embarks on a "full-scale military aggression" in Lebanon, "an obliterating war will ensue."

The Iranian mission also said in the post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that in such an event "all options, incl. the full involvement of all resistance fronts, are on the table."

Israel has been waging a war on Gaza since the Hamas October 2023 attack that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israelis. The Israeli onslught on the besieged territory has killed close to 38,000 Palestinians including women, children and babies and wounded at least 87,500 others.

During the same Israel was also been engaged in skirmishes with Hezbollah on its border with Lebanon. At the same time, Israel has also been lauching attacks on Syrian territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said this week they prefer a diplomatic path to resolving the situation.

Though Katz is a member of Israel's security cabinet, war policy has largely been led by Netanyahu and a small circle of ministers that includes Gallant, who visited Washington this week for talks on Gaza and Lebanon.