Moshe Ya'alon: Anyone who harms Israel will pay a heavy price

General Moshe Ya'alon, Israel's Defense Minister, stated that his country "knows how to impose a heavy price on those who harm Israel." According to the Jerusalem Post, Ya'alon made these remarks on Friday, January 23, during a visit to the command center of forces stationed at Israel's northern border. Ya'alon "swore" that Israel would "not tolerate any efforts to harm itself" and would ensure the security of its people "in the most decisive manner, but with prudence." The Israeli Defense Minister also mentioned that "governments, regimes, and organizations across the border" would be responsible for any potential attack on Israel. In recent days, the Israeli army has been on high alert at the border with Lebanon and Syria, increasing the number of troops and tanks deployed in these areas. Israel has also deployed the "Iron Dome" system to confront the possibility of rocket and missile launches towards its northern borders. These measures were implemented following a rocket attack last Sunday from a drone targeting several vehicles of senior Hezbollah activists in the Quneitra region of the Syrian Golan Heights. Among the casualties were Mohammad Ali Allah Dadi, a senior commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of the slain military commander of Hezbollah, Imad Mughniyeh, and Mohammad Hassan Issa, a former field commander of Hezbollah. The Jerusalem Post reported that twelve members of Hezbollah and Iranian forces were killed in that attack. Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran attribute this attack to Israel, but Israel has neither confirmed nor denied it. According to the Jerusalem Post, Benny Gantz, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, who visited his country's forces at the northern borders on Friday, stated that "the north is calm, strong, and fully prepared." Israeli media reported that General Gantz canceled his foreign trip in recent days to be in Israel in case of any eventualities due to the tense situation at its borders with Syria and Lebanon. Meanwhile, Israeli officials have urged residents of the northern borders and tourists to continue their "normal" lives and activities but to "be alert to army warnings." Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, stated last Tuesday in a statement and then on Wednesday during the funeral of Mohammad Ali Allah Dadi that Iran stands by "resistance" until the "collapse" of Israel. Other senior IRGC officials have also issued severe warnings to Israel in recent days, emphasizing the necessity of continuing efforts until the "destruction of the Zionist regime." Brigadier General Ismail Qaani, the successor to Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, stated, "We are accounting for the Zionists step by step." "An Israeli security official" told Reuters last week that his country was unaware of the presence of a senior Iranian military official in Hezbollah's vehicles and believed that "lower-ranking" Hezbollah forces were in those vehicles. Major General Mostafa Izadi, the deputy chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, stated that Israel made this claim out of "fear" because it knew that these forces had a "combined Iranian-Lebanese-Syrian" composition. Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, has yet to publicly respond to the deaths of senior Hezbollah activists.