“I have a clear message, Hizbulah is familiar with passing our aircraft and their capabilities. If we are forced to respond and attack to defend ourselves, we will do so and we will cause great damage,” he said.

Gantz was alluding to the hundreds of times warships violate Lebanese airspace in their incursions into Syria.

Such comments come after Tel Aviv’s military confirmed missile fire and moved fighter jets after a Hizbullah drone flew for 40 minutes over occupied Palestinian airspace and returned intact to its base.

Minutes after that action, an Israeli aircraft passed over Beirut and its suburbs at low altitude, shaking windows and setting off some car alarms.

Hizbullah represents a protective shield for Lebanon, following its victories in 2000 when it expelled the Israeli occupiers and in 2006 when it defeated in 33 days an invasion by its southern neighbors.

The Tel Aviv regime thinks twice before returning to warfare, especially after learning of the possession by the Lebanese Islamic Resistance of some 150,000 rockets capable of hitting any point in Israel.

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