JERUSALEM

Israel can inflict massive damage in Lebanon in the event of a full-scale war with Hezbollah, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned on Thursday.

Gallant told reporters in Washington that the Israeli government prefers to find a diplomatic solution to the situation on the Israel-Lebanon border, the Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported.

Gallant's remarks came amid growing fears of a full-blown war in Lebanon between the Hezbollah group and Israel.

In a related development, Gallant mentioned that he discussed his proposals for post-war governance in the Gaza Strip with senior US officials.

He outlined a plan involving local Palestinians, regional partners, and the US, describing it as a "long and complex process."

The Israeli defense minister arrived in Washington on Sunday and has since met with various officials there.

Meanwhile, former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

“What is clear is that this government is unable to decide and win, neither in the south (Gaza) nor in the north (Lebanon). It is unable to lead the people of Israel to a safe shore and restore the sense of security to the citizens,” the leader of Israel Beiteinu Party said on X.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian group Hamas.

More than 37,700 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 86,400 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Over eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio