Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Monday that any Iranian attack on Israel would be met with a forceful response, calling such a move “one mistake too many,” as Hezbollah issued fresh threats amid rising regional tensions.
Netanyahu spoke in the Knesset during a special session marking the official visit of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, hours after Israel announced the identification and return of the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza, Ran Gvili.
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(Photo: Khalil Hamra/ AP, Amir Cohen/ Reuters, Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA West Asia News Agency)
With the hostage issue resolved, Netanyahu said Israel is now focused on advancing the next phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace framework. He stressed that Israel’s priority is the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip and the disarmament of Hamas, not reconstruction.
“We have returned all our hostages to Israel, including the last one,” Netanyahu said. “We are at the threshold of the next stage: dismantling Hamas’ weapons and demilitarizing Gaza. This stage is not about reconstruction, and we have an interest in advancing it without delay. The sooner we do so, the sooner we complete the objectives of the war.”
Addressing Rama, Netanyahu said Albania’s history allows it to recognize heroism, adding that Israel would continue to expand regional peace agreements and pursue normalization with additional Arab and Muslim states.
Netanyahu also delivered a warning to Iran, amid concerns Tehran could retaliate if the United States carries out threats of military action. “Our heroic soldiers are defending Israel with extraordinary courage,” he said. “The capabilities of the axis of evil are far weaker than they were before the war. Hamas in Gaza will be disarmed, Gaza will be demilitarized. It will happen, as our friend President Trump said, either the easy way or the hard way.”
He added, “Any attempt by Iran to harm us will be met by a determined response. It would be a very big mistake, one mistake too many.”
Following Gvili’s return, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the discovery of the last Israeli captive’s body confirmed Hamas’ commitment to the ceasefire agreement, including the exchange framework. He called on mediators and the United States to pressure Israel to halt alleged violations of the deal and meet its obligations.
At the same time, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem delivered a speech in Beirut at a rally supporting Iran and its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “We gather in solidarity with Iran and its leader,” Qassem said. “Khamenei is the one who leads us, and Hezbollah believes in his leadership.”
Qassem warned that threats against Khamenei amounted to a threat against millions of people. “When Trump threatens him, he threatens the leader of millions,” he said. “This is an assassination of regional stability.”
While stopping short of explicitly committing Hezbollah to direct military action if Iran is attacked, Qassem said the group would not remain neutral. “We will decide how to act when the time comes, according to circumstances,” he said, adding that a war against Iran “could ignite the entire region.”
The speech came as mass pro-Iran rallies were held across Lebanon, including in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district, Baalbek and southern Lebanon, despite efforts by the country’s new leadership to distance itself from foreign influence, particularly Iran.