������

The chief of Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate has warned that a new war with the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah could break out during a speech at a security conference on Monday.

Aharon Haliva said that Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah was "close to making a mistake that could plunge the region into a big war” at Israel's 2023 annual Herzliya Security Conference in Reichman University.

"The chances of an escalation that could deteriorate into war is not low," Haliva added.��

The comments come after a highly publicised military exercise conducted by Hezbollah in Aaramta, southern Lebanon, that showcased mock raids into Israel, with the group showing off an array of weaponry in the process.����

Nasrallah has previously warned that if there were "any attack in Lebanon" by Israel then "we’ll respond accordingly and without hesitation".����

Recent flareups on the Israeli-Lebanese border, including a roadside bomb attack near Megido in March, and rockets being fired into Israel from southern Lebanon in May, have led to an increase in tension between Israel and Hezbollah.��

As well as warning that Nasrallah may view the flareups as ongoing, Haliya also warned that in the event of an escalation on the Israeli-Lebanese or Syrian border, the Israeli military would be "ready to use force", doing "whatever is possible and necessary to bring calm".��

He also highlighted that confrontations with Iran, Hezbollah’s patron, had "become direct" in recent years. The comments likely refer to Israeli airstrikes that have targeted Iranian facilities and Iran-backed groups in Syria, including Hezbollah, as well as alleged Israeli covert operations on Iranian territory itself.��