Amid rising threats of attack by Iran and Hezbollah, following the assassinations of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut and Hamas's leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel is on "high alert" and is prepared to handle any threat in any scenario.
"Israel is in a state of very high readiness for any scenario – on both defense and offense. We will exact a very high price for any act of aggression against us from any quarter whatsoever," The Jerusalem Post quoted Netanyahu as saying.
Netanyahu also spoke with US President Joe Biden, who vowed support to Israel and stressed America's commitment to defending Israel's security "against all threats from Iran".
This comes after Israel took responsibility of a strike in southern Beirut, during which the Lebanese group Hezbollah's senior commander Fuad Shukr was killed. Israel said that its military carried out a "precision strike" in Beirut on Tuesday that killed Shukr, who it said was responsible for the missile strike in Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights on Saturday, which killed 12 children who were playing football.
On Thursday, Israel had also announced that the Hama's military chief Mohammed Deif had been killed last month in the air strike in southern Gaza.
However, Israel has not taken responsibility for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday, despite Hamas, Iran, and their allies blaming it for the attack.
'Expect Rage And Revenge': Hezbollah
Following Haniyeh's killing, the Iranian and Hamas leaders had vowed to take revenge against Israel during his funeral procession in Tehran on Thursday morning, The Times Of Israel reported.
Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah had also said that the war against the Jewish country had entered a "new phase" and that Israel should expect "rage and revenge".
At the funeral of the slain leader, Nasrallah said that "the resistance cannot but respond. This is definite."
"We are looking for a real response, not a performative one, and for real opportunities. A studied response," Nasrallah added.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu, on a visit to the Home Front Command on August 1, said: "Whoever harms us, we will harm them."
He also held a meeting on hostage talks with Major General Roman Gofman, his Military Secretary, his Chief of Staff Tzachi Braveerman, and Brig.General Gal Hirsch, who is the Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing, The Jerusalem Post reported.
'Israel Knows How To Deal With Threats': IDF
“When asked about Haniyeh, Israel Defence Forces Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari stated on Thursday, "We struck on Tuesday night in Lebanon and killed Fuad Shukr in an accurate aerial strike."
"I want to emphasize, there was no other aerial strike, not a missile and not an Israeli drone, in the entire Middle East that night, and I won’t comment further," he added.
Hagari also said that that Israel has been facing various threats since the war began, following the conflict trigerred by Hamas's October 7 onslaught.
"We have proven recently that the State of Israel knows how to deal with threats in defense, and to respond with a mighty attack," he said.
The IDF Spokesman also said that Israeli military was continously assessing the situation, adding "We have our finger on the pulse all the time."
ALSO READ: All About Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas Chief Killed In Iran
"We have very good defense systems, and we have international allies that bolstered their forces in the area to aid us against these threats," Hagari added.
Hagari further said that IDF is on "high alert" in both "defence and attack".
"IDF troops are deployed in the air, at sea, and on the ground, and are ready for any scenario, and especially with plans to carry out attacks in the immediate time-frame," he said.
'Crucial For Hamas & Israel To Finalise Hostage Deal': US
As tensions continue to simmer in the Middle-East, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that the region was heading towards more "conflict, more violence, suffering, or insecurity, and it is crucial that we break the cycle."
"It’s urgent that all parties make the right choices in the days ahead because those choices are the difference between staying on this path of violence, of insecurity, of suffering, or moving to something very different and much better for all parties concerned," The Jerusalem Post quoted Bliken as saying.
Blinken also said that it was important for both Hamas and Israel to finalise the hostage deal that Biden had unveiled on May 31, which would pause the war.
US believes that this three-phase agreement would lead to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and would also end the cross-border war between Hezbollah and IDF along Israel's northern border.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also said that, "We continue to believe that a deal is not just urgent but also achievable."
After the recent events, it is being speculated that the hostage deal talks, in which Haniyeh was also involved, might have been harmed, but the Israeli and US officials said that the talks are ongoing.
ALSO READ: Air India Cancels Tel Aviv Flights Amid Rising Tension Between Israel And Iran