Israel's ex-UN envoy: 'If attacked, we'll bury Hezbollah under rubble of Lebanon'

Israel’s former Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon launched a stark warning to Hezbollah Tuesday night, while calling for the Lebanese government to implement Resolution 1701 which prohibits any militia from operating in Lebanon.

“If Hezbollah will attack our civilians, our communities -- we will retaliate, and we will bury Hezbollah under the rubble of Lebanon,” Danon told i24NEWS in an exclusive interview conducted in Tel Aviv.

In wake of Lebanon’s reported intention to file a complaint with the United Nations Security Council over Monday’s flare-up on the Israeli-Lebanese border, Danon “advised” Beirut to “start dealing with Hezbollah” instead.

“I feel bad for the Lebanese people,” he continued. “They are under the occupation of Hezbollah, they know that Hezbollah took over part of south Lebanon… but we are sending a very clear message to the Lebanese government: you have to take care of what’s happening in Lebanon, otherwise -- you will pay the price.”

The former ambassador further spoke of his tenure as Israel’s chief diplomat to the global organization, saying “we proved we can win even in a hostile place like the UN.” Danon mentioned his historic election as Chair of the Sixth Committee (Legal) as a significant Israeli achievement -- much to the dissatisfaction of the Palestinians, he added.

“I brought to Israel more than 100 UN ambassadors on different missions,” Danon noted.

Speaking of the time he accompanied former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley on her visit to Israel’s northern border, he reflected on meeting “the Director General of UNIFIL, [who] told us: ‘everything is great.’ And Ambassador Haley looked at him, and told him: ‘we can see Hezbollah!’” -- referring to a violation of Resolution 1701.