General: War between Israel and Hezbollah would mean “destruction of the Third Temple”

A new war against Lebanon’s Hezbollah could mean “the downfall of the Third Temple,” a retired Israeli general warned in a scathing attack on the country’s prime minister and defense officials.

Retired Major General Itzhak Brik said he had repeatedly warned activists in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party against a war against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, which he said would mean the downfall of the Israeli state.

“If we attack, it will mean the destruction of the Third Temple,” he told Israel’s Ynet.

The Third Temple is the hypothetical idea for the reconstruction of the Temple of Jerusalem, which according to Jewish belief is to be built in the Messianic Age as a successor to the Temple of Solomon and the Second Temple, which were destroyed in 587 BC and 70 AD respectively.

Many Jews believe that the site of the Temple is now the site of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, although there is no clear evidence for this. Israeli extremists have called for the mosque to be demolished to make way for a new Temple on the site.

Brik accused Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halev of wanting to sacrifice Israel and its people in a war with Hezbollah for political reasons.

“The three of them – Netanyahu, Gallant and Herzi Halevi – can make the decision to die together with the entire Israeli people because they understand that they have nowhere to go after the war,” Barik said.

“That’s why they can bet on the country.”

Parallel to the Gaza war, Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting across the border since October last year. The clashes have escalated in recent weeks as regional and international concerns about a larger conflict have grown. The United States has tried to mediate a solution.

Brik told Ynet that, contrary to Gallant and Halevi’s advice to Netanyahu, he warned the prime minister against going to war against Hezbollah and has met with him six times since October.

“Gallant and Halevi advised Netanyahu eight months ago to attack the north, at the same time that Hamas attacked,” Brik said, referring to the Palestinian group’s incursion into southern Israel on October 7. “I managed to convince him (Netanyahu) not to approve the attack.”

The problem today is the pressure that Gallant and Halevi are putting on Netanyahu, Brik added, warning that the prime minister’s gamble could have a “bitter end.”

Brik has frequently criticized Netanyahu for the Israeli military’s lack of preparation for a ground offensive in Gaza, saying soldiers are not adequately trained and lack the equipment, logistical support and even food needed for such an offensive.

In the Gaza Strip, Israeli bombings and ground attacks have killed over 37,000 people, mostly women and children. In Lebanon, Israeli air strikes and artillery fire have killed over 400 people, mostly fighters.