Lebanon will 'bear consequences' of Hezbollah 'mistake,' Israeli ambassador says

LONDON -- Danny Danon, Israel's permanent representative to the United Nations, told ABC News on Thursday that his nation is ready to intensify military action against Iran-aligned Hezbollah in Lebanon amid troubled cease-fire talks.

Israeli strikes have already killed more than 700 people across Lebanon since Monday, with airstrikes particularly concentrated in Hezbollah's southern and eastern heartlands.

"We mean business," Danon said when asked about Israel's intentions. "We will do whatever is necessary to allow the residents of the north to come back to their homes."

"We prefer a diplomatic solution, but we also have the capabilities to push Hezbollah from our borders. So, we hope there will be some kind of a diplomatic solution. If not, we will use our strength and might to make it happen."

Danon spoke with ABC News on Thursday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed in New York City to attend the U.N. General Assembly and before Israel carried out a major air strike on Hezbollah's headquarters in Beirut on Friday.

Earlier on Thursday, Netanyahu appeared to dismiss a joint U.S.-French proposal for a 21-day cease-fire, which President Joe Biden said Wednesday had won "significant" international backing.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz then explicitly declared on social media that there would be "no cease-fire."

Asked whether the contrasting U.S.-Israeli rhetoric represented fresh bilateral tensions, Danon replied: "No -- we will continue the ongoing dialogue with our colleagues in the U.S. We appreciate the cooperation and we have a good mechanism for discussing those issues."

"We appreciate the efforts of the U.S., France and other countries who are trying to find a diplomatic solution," he added.

"We prefer a diplomatic solution for the problem with Hezbollah, but we know that sometimes when you deal with a terrorist organization -- and we have the experience with Hamas in the last year -- it's very hard to achieve an agreement."

Signals at the Israel-Lebanon border indicate that Israel is preparing for a possible ground invasion. Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi said Thursday that the military "has been waiting for years for this opportunity to attack Hezbollah."

Israel wants Hezbollah to withdraw beyond the Litani River -- some 18 miles north of Israel's border -- as stipulated by a 2006 U.N. Security Council resolution that sought to end the last major war between the two sides.

"If in the future we will engage with another diplomatic resolution, we will have to make sure that it can be enforced," Danon said. "We need to understand what will be the sanction with enforcing it."

"In 2006, the resolution passed the Security Council and look what happened -- today, you don't see even a single Lebanese soldier on the border with Israel. You see full control of Hezbollah."

"I think they know that we are serious, they know that we are determined," Danon continued of Hezbollah. The militant group's decision to attack Israel in support of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Danon added, "is a mistake, and the people who will pay the price will be the people of Lebanon."

Lebanese officials urged a cease-fire following Israel's intensification of cross-border bombing over the past week. Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told the UNGA the conflict could "transform into a black hole that will engulf international and regional peace and security."

Asked if Beirut could play a role in preventing a wider war, Danon replied: "Lebanon is a sovereign state and we expect the government to take the appropriate actions in order to control what's happening there."

"If they allow Hezbollah to take over, they will bear the consequences."