Hezbollah warns of ‘new and escalatory phase’ of war with Israel by using precision-guided missiles after Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed
Hezbollah announced a “new and escalatory phase” in its war with Israel on Thursday – hours after the Israeli military confirmed its forces killed the leader of Hamas.
The terror group claimed it had used precision-guided missiles against Israeli troops for the first time since the Jewish state launched a ground invasion into Lebanon last month with the goal of rooting out Hezbollah militants.
In a statement, the Iran-backed terrorist organization said that their plan “will be reflected in the developments and events of the coming days” as hundreds of fighters are prepared to “counter any Israeli ground incursion into southern Lebanese villages.”
Hezbollah noted that attacks against Israel have increased in recent days, adding that it has killed 55 Israeli soldiers and injured 500 since the war erupted on Sept. 23.
The statement made no mention of the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar – a Hezbollah ally who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, along with two other Hamas terrorists who were traveling with him.
Sinwar’s death has been hailed by US and Israeli officials as a major blow to Hamas with the potential of ending the war in Gaza and freeing the remaining 97 hostages who were abducted from Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Israel has pummeled areas in targeted airstrikes against Hezbollah’s leadership in southern Lebanon, with the rivals engaged in close-range combat after Israel launched a ground invasion last month to demolish the terror groups weapons depots and infrastructure.
The Israeli military said it killed more than 200 Hezbollah operatives during a raid earlier this month, with multiple tunnels and rocket-launching facilities destroyed along the border.
Israel has also decimated the terror group’s leadership and ranks in recent months, killing Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Sept. 27.
Israeli defense officials also revealed earlier this month that Nasrallah’s planned successor, Hashem Safieddine, was likely also killed in an airstrike before he could even be formally elected as a replacement.
Along with the two chiefs, the IDF’s airstrikes in southern Lebanon and Beirut have killed more than a dozen senior officials, including the top commanders of Hezbollah’s elite military and missile firing units.
Hezbollah’s threat comes more than a week after it announced it was ready to engage in cease-fire talks with Israel and previously vowed that it would stop its attacks until it agreed to end the war in Gaza – despite firing missiles over the border nearly every day since Oct. 8.
It remains unclear if Israel will accept a cease-fire deal with Hezbollah as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that the operations in Lebanon would not end until he is assured the terror group will no longer pose an active threat to northern Israel.
The US and France have repeatedly urged the two sides to engage in a truce over fears the conflict would spark an all-out war in the Middle East.
Source » msn.com
