Hezbollah emphasizes readiness to fight – concern about ground offensive
Published: Monday, Sep 30th 2024, 15:30
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For the first time since the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, the head of the Islamist militia has spoken out and signaled to Israel that it is ready to fight.
"We know that the battle could last a long time and we are prepared for all possibilities," said deputy Hezbollah leader Naim Kassim in a televised speech. "If Israel decides to launch a ground offensive: We are ready." He did not say who would lead Hezbollah. Meanwhile, the humanitarian emergency in Lebanon is coming to a head.
On Friday, Israel's army killed the secretary general of the Shiite Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran, in the south of the Lebanese capital Beirut. A formation of at least ten fighter jets is said to have dropped around 80 tons of bombs on a block of houses above the underground headquarters of the Shiite militia. More than a dozen other leaders and an Iranian general were also killed in the operation - a serious blow for Tehran and its allies in the region.
For more than a week, Israel's military has been launching hundreds of attacks in the neighboring country. Fearing the fighting, tens of thousands of Lebanese have fled their villages and towns. Meanwhile, many people are holding out in the capital Beirut, sleeping on mattresses on the coastal promenade of the Mediterranean city due to a lack of accommodation. The latest escalation is likely to bring back memories of the last war between Israel and Hezbollah 18 years ago for many of the approximately 9 million inhabitants.
Israel's defense minister alludes to ground operation in Lebanon
Israel's Defense Minister Joav Galant alluded to a possible ground operation in Lebanon on Monday. The killing of Nasrallah was an important step, "but not everything," said Galant during a visit by armored troops on the northern border. "We will deploy all our capabilities." The armored troops are "part of the effort".
The aim is still to enable the return of 60,000 Israelis who have been displaced from areas along the border for months as a result of Hezbollah attacks. They are prepared to "make every effort" and deploy troops in the air, at sea and on the ground.
The army did not comment on a report in the "Wall Street Journal", according to which Israeli special forces have already made small, targeted advances into the south of Lebanon. According to the unconfirmed report, the aim of the advances was to prepare a ground offensive, perhaps as early as this week.
Mutual bombardment continues
Despite the killing of numerous leading members, Hezbollah continued its attacks. According to the Israeli army, there was another rocket alert in the city of Safed on Monday. The army radio station reported that several rockets had been fired at the city. There were initially no reports of casualties or damage to property.
The army also announced that an Israeli missile boat had intercepted a drone flying in the north over Israeli waters in the Mediterranean. The army radio station reported that it was assumed that the drone was aiming at the Karish gas platform, a strategic target from Israel's point of view. Israel and Lebanon had agreed on a gas agreement and the border two years ago.
Leader of Islamist Hamas killed in Lebanon
Israel's army also killed a leader of the Islamist Hamas in Lebanon, against whom Isarel has been fighting in the Gaza Strip for almost a year. Fatah Sharif Abu al-Amin was killed together with other family members in his home near Tyre, the statement added. He was the leader of Hamas in Lebanon.
There was also a new attack in Beirut. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine group announced that three of its leaders had been killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israel had attacked the group in the predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Kola in Beirut. Among the dead is the PFLP military commander in Lebanon. Israel, the EU and the USA classify the PFLP as a terrorist organization.
UN: 100,000 have already fled from Lebanon to Syria
According to UN figures, around 100,000 people have already fled to Syria since the start of the massive Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon. 60 percent are Syrians who had once sought refuge in Lebanon, 40 percent are Lebanese, reported the UN refugee agency UNHCR in Geneva. After the bomb attacks on Friday, the number of refugees at the north-western border crossing towards Homs in Syria doubled. However, most people are fleeing via the border crossing around 70 kilometers southwest of Beirut towards Damascus.
Iran sends advisor to Hezbollah office in Tehran
Iran is considered the most important supporter of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Following the killing of Nasrallah, Tehran is also likely to play a role in the organization's realignment. In recent days, high-ranking advisors and politicians have appeared at the organization's Tehran office, as reported by Iranian media. Among them were President Massud Peseshkian, Intelligence Minister Ismail Khatib and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Abdolrahim Mussawi. Over the past decades, Iran's leadership had helped to build up the organization politically and militarily.
©Keystone/SDA
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