Fears Middle East war now inevitable as Israel threatens to attack IRAN - ‘We'll cut the head off the snake’
An Israeli army M109 155mm self-propelled howitzer fires rounds near the border with Gaza
GETTY
Israel has threatened to attack Iran if the Tehran-backed terror organisation Hezbollah joins Hamas' onslaught.
Nir Barkat, Israel’s Minister of Economy, warned the Ayatollahs that they will be “wiped off the face of the earth” if Hezbollah attacks Israel.
Hezbollah, who operate in Lebanon, are reportedly supported by Iran and Syria.
Barkat’s comments have raised fears about the conflict stretching further across the Middle East.
WATCH NOW: GB News discuss Iran's involvement in supporting Hamas and Hezbollah
It also came ahead of Israel’s much-anticipated invasion of the Gaza Strip after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to crush Hamas.
Tens of thousands of IDF soldiers are positioned on the border as Hamas continues to hold around 200 Israeli hostages.
The Minister of Economy, who compared the situation to the Blitz in 1940, told The Mail on Sunday: “The plan of Iran is to attack Israel on all fronts.
“If we find they intend to target Israel, we will not just retaliate to those fronts, but we will go to the head of the snake, which is Iran.
“The Ayatollahs in Iran are not going to sleep good at night, we are going to make sure they pay a heavy price if, God forbid, they open the northern front.
Israeli Minister of Economy Nir Barkat issued a warning to Iran
REUTERS
“Lebanon and Hezbollah are going to pay a heavy price, similar to what Hamas is going to pay. But that's not enough.
“The very clear message is that we are going to be going after the heads of Iran as well. When will we do that? When we decide.
“Israel has a very clear message to our enemies. We are saying to them, look what's happening in Gaza – you are going to get the same treatment if you attack us. We are going to wipe you off the face of the Earth.”
Tehran has since issued a chilling warning to Israel about the next stages of the conflict.
“I warn the US and its proxy (Israel) that if they do not immediately stop the crime against humanity and genocide in Gaza, anything is possible at any moment and the region will go out of control,” Iran's foreign minister said today.
The Israeli air force has since released footage showing an aerial attack against Hezbollah in response to a suspected launch of anti-tank missiles towards Tziporan.
Hezbollah have around 20,000 fighters, making them one of the most powerful premilitary forces in the Middle East.
Tehran has been accused of funnelling hundreds of millions of dollars to Islamists each year.
However, military experts have warned that a conflict between Israel and Iran could escalate tensions.
Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah carry flags during a rally to express solidarity with the Palestinians
REUTERS
General Sir Richard Barrons, a former head of the British Army's Joint Forces Command, said: “If Israel strikes Iran, that is an act of war against Iran, so Iran is going to respond.
"And when that happens then the Muslim world as a whole will feel that this has become a war between Israel and Islam and where does that take you?
“There is every risk in the Middle East of events spiralling out of control and the world ending up in a place which no one wants to be in.”
US President Joe Biden has reportedly urged Israeli leaders against carrying out any major strikes against Hezbollah.