Israel listen! If attacked… Hezbollah chief threatens, says will target new areas

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Wednesday that Hezbollah would attack new targets in his country if Israel continued to target civilians in Lebanon. He said the number of non-combatants killed in Lebanon had increased in recent days. According to state media and security sources, five civilians, including three children, were killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon on Tuesday, and at least three Lebanese civilians were killed a day earlier. Israel has said it is attacking Hezbollah’s militants and infrastructure in Lebanon and is not targeting civilians.

Nasrallah’s threat – will attack Israel more

In comments made during a televised address on the occasion of Ashura, a holy day for Shia Muslims, Nasrallah said, “Continuing to target civilians will prompt the resistance (anti-Israel armed groups including Hezbollah) to launch missiles on settlements that were not previously targeted.” Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group and the most powerful military and political force in Lebanon, refers to all Israeli population centers as settlements and does not recognize Israel.

Hezbollah supporting Hamas

Hezbollah announced a “support front” with the Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked communities along the southern Israeli border on October 7. This was followed by Israeli military attacks in Gaza, and exchanges of fire have continued between Israel and Hezbollah since then. According to reports, the fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, and has led to new levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

Vowed to rebuild destroyed homes

Addressing thousands of Shia Muslims gathered in southern Beirut via video link, Nasrallah vowed that the destroyed homes would be rebuilt. The annual period of mourning to commemorate the 7th-century death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, is often an opportunity for Hezbollah to demonstrate its popular support and military might. Many carried pictures of Hezbollah fighters killed by Israel in more than nine months of fighting.

Hezbollah beefs up security in Lebanon

To maintain security, hundreds of Hezbollah members were manning checkpoints, riding motorbikes and positioned on rooftops, armed with new weapons, including technology that sources familiar with the matter said could intercept drones and bring them down. This year, processions were canceled in southern Lebanon because of clashes with Israel. Fears have grown among international observers in recent weeks that Israel could expand its military operations in Lebanon, risking a wider war.