Sheikh Naim Qassem, the Deputy Leader of Lebanese armed group, Hezbollah, has asserted that the group is not seeking to widen its conflict with Israel but is ready to fight any war imposed on it.
He said that Hezbollah is “ready for the battle and will not allow Israel to secure any victories.”
“Any Israeli expansion of the war on Lebanon will be met with devastation, destruction and displacement in Israel,” he added.
The Lebanese group’s Deputy Chief declared, “If Israel wants to fight an all-out war, we are ready for it.”
This came as Israel’s far-right police and Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, called for war with Hezbollah.
“All Hezbollah strongholds must be burned down and destroyed. War!” Ben-Gvir demanded in a video published on X.
He said during a visit to Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel that it is unacceptable for parts of Israel to be attacked and people evacuated while peace prevails in Lebanon.
The town has been particularly affected by shelling from southern Lebanon.
Ben-Gvir lamented that Hezbollah is burning large areas of Israel, a reference to several fires in the north of the country caused by rocket fire from Lebanon in recent days.
He said that he published the video after assessing the situation with the fire service and police in the region.
Hostilities across the Lebanese-Israeli border continue to flare.
Iran-aligned Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire for the past eight months in parallel with Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, raising concerns that an even wider conflict could break out between the heavily armed adversaries.
The Lebanese front, Qassem said, is permanently linked to Gaza, echoing similar sentiments expressed by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who has repeatedly described the group’s support for Gaza as “final.”
The cross-border violence has escalated in recent days.
Hezbollah announced on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, that it had launched a squadron of one-way attack drones at an Israeli military barracks for a second consecutive day, calling it a response to a deadly Israeli attack on Lebanon.
While Hezbollah has used drones in the conflict, it marked the first time it had declared launching a squadron of them.
The group said that Tuesday’s drone launch had been in response to what it described as an Israeli assassination in the border town of Naqoura.
Hezbollah named its member as Haider Hassan Maslamani, a resident of the southern Lebanon city of Naqoura.
It said that he died “on the road to Jerusalem,” a term used by the armed group to refer to those killed in Israeli attacks.
According to the group, at least 329 Hezbollah members have been killed in Israeli attacks since the Gaza war began in October, mostly in Lebanon.
The hostilities have been the worst between Israel and Hezbollah since they went to war in 2006, and tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border have been forced to flee their homes.
Israeli War Cabinet To Meet
An Israeli official revealed that Israel’s war cabinet is due to meet later on Tuesday, mainly to discuss the northern front.
Israeli government spokesperson, David Mencer said that the fighting in the north was “not a sustainable reality.”
He stressed that Israel was committed to ensuring the security of tens of thousands of Israelis who had been evacuated from the area and to ensuring they return home.
“It is up to Hezbollah to decide if this can be accomplished by diplomatic means or by force,” he said.
He added, “We are defending this country and no one should be surprised by our response.”
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