Lebanon against major war
Hezbollah leader threatens Israel and Cyprus with attacks
19.06.2024, 20:55
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Israel’s military and Hezbollah in Lebanon continue to rattle their sabres verbally. The head of the Islamist militia has announced resistance to Jerusalem, but does not want to risk open war. They are reacting calmly and relying on their own military capabilities.
In light of the growing tensions with Israel, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has once again stressed his militia’s readiness to fight. “If they force a war on Lebanon, the resistance will strike back without limits,” said the Secretary General of the Shiite organization in a public speech. “Israel must reckon with us on land, in the sea and in the air,” he said. Hezbollah is ready to fight without restrictions and rules. Nasrallah is not seeking a large-scale war with Israel, he emphasized. He said “the Lebanese front” is strongly represented at the negotiating table.
The Hezbollah leader also warned Cyprus against cooperating with the Israeli military. If the Cypriot government made its airports and military bases available to the Israeli military, the island state would “become part of the war,” said Nasrallah. Israeli media had previously reported that special units of the Israeli army had traveled to Cyprus to train for the fight against Hezbollah.
Following the publication of alleged aerial photographs of northern Israel by Hezbollah, Israel’s Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi played down concerns about the military’s capabilities. “We have, of course, infinitely greater capabilities, of which I believe the enemy knows only a few,” Halevi said, according to the army. The military chief also said that the army was also preparing to be able to deal with the capabilities of the Lebanese Shiite militia.
On Tuesday, Hezbollah released aerial photographs that show, among other things, the port of Haifa and other important strategic locations in the area. They were apparently taken with a drone. The army knew that Hezbollah was capable of doing this, said Halevi.
Israel threatens offensive in Lebanon
Since the war in the Gaza Strip began more than eight months ago, there have been daily military confrontations between the Israeli army and the pro-Iranian militia in the border area between Israel and Lebanon. There have been deaths on both sides.
The situation between Lebanon and Israel has recently escalated significantly. There are concerns that the conflict between the Israeli military and the Hezbollah militia will escalate. Israel’s military approved plans for an offensive in Lebanon on Tuesday, fueling fears of an escalation. High-ranking commanders approved “operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon” during an assessment of the situation, the military said. The readiness of the troops will be further increased.