TEL AVIV, July 25. /TASS/. The Israeli Air Force can deliver a crushing blow to neighboring Lebanon at any moment, IAF Commanding Officer Major General Tomer Bar said at a meeting with heads of local governments in the north of the country.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, as part of the meeting assessments of operational situation on the border between the countries were given, and Bar gave an overview of IAF activities as it carries out regular strikes on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.

"We are ready for war. The Israeli Air Force has full responsibility to implement all the operational plans. And there will be a knockout punch, as lethal as possible, against an enemy we are familiar with. And there will be surprises," Bar warned.

The officer said the target of the recent IAF strike on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah was not only the Houthis, who had launched a drone toward Tel Aviv shortly before. He said it was a message to Israel's opponents throughout the region.

"It was aimed at the entire Middle East, both at [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah and Iran," the officer stated. "And on this issue, I will tell you that throughout the entire war we have maintained and are maintaining an ability that if a war breaks out in the North and with Iran, we will rise to the occasion. Nine months and we are 'all in', never letting down our guard, as we understand the righteousness."

The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated following an incursion of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israel on October 7, accompanied by killings of residents of Israeli settlements near the border and taking multiple hostages. Israel declared a complete siege of the Gaza Strip and started a ground operation in the enclave that goes on to this day.

The situation is also escalating on the Lebanese-Israeli border, where Hezbollah opens fire toward Israel and is met with retaliation from the IDF. As tensions are rising, more than 80,000 Israelis were evacuated from border areas. Israel repeatedly stated that it would prefer to resolve the situation with Hezbollah through diplomacy, but is also ready to start a full-blown military operation at any time.