Israel threatens ‘crushing’ response to any Hezbollah strike

JERUSALEM – Israel’s prime minister says it will deliver a “crushing” strike against Hezbollah if the Lebanese militant group attempts to attack.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reacting to comments made by Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

In an interview Friday, Nasrallah boasted that his group is much stronger than during the 2006 war and is capable of striking anywhere in Israel. Pointing to a map, Nasrallah identified a list of targets he said his group could strike, saying “in all fields, the resistance has developed in quantity and quality.”

Speaking to his Cabinet Sunday, Netanyahu criticized what he called Nasrallah’s “arrogant” words.

He says “if Hezbollah dares to do something stupid and attack Israel, we will strike it and Lebanon, a crushing military strike.”