IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz warned Hezbollah on Tuesday not to test Israel’s resolve by attacking an Israeli target overseas.

The warning came several weeks after the defense establishment went on high alert due to increased threats to Israeli delegations abroad.

“We are witnessing efforts by Hezbollah and other hostile elements to perpetrate a brutal terrorist attack far from Israel,” Gantz said. “I recommend to everyone not to test our resolve.”

His warning was the first such statement by an Israeli official and was likely made as part of a larger government strategy to deter Hezbollah and Iran from launching an overseas attack against an Israeli target.

The Counter-Terrorism Bureau issued a “severe travel warning” two weeks ago advising Israelis to stay away from Bangkok after Thai authorities arrested a Hezbollah operative who was planning an attack against the city’s Israeli Embassy.

Early this month, Israel raised its level of alert for overseas delegations out of concern that Iran and Hezbollah would carry out an attack ahead of the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah military chief Imad Mughniyeh.