In a televised speech on Friday, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel that the group will respond swiftly “on the battlefield” to the killing of Hamas’s deputy leader Saleh al-Aruri in its south Beirut stronghold. Nasrallah emphasized that the response is inevitable and that fighters from all areas of the border will be the ones responding to the “dangerous violation” in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The killing occurred when an Israeli drone struck a Hamas office in the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital Beirut, resulting in the deaths of six people, including Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri.
Nasrallah also warned Israel against waging war on Lebanon, threatening that the group’s response would be “without limits”. The Gaza war has prompted Nasrallah to see a “historic opportunity” to completely liberate every inch of Lebanese land, referring to 13 areas of dispute along the border with Israel.
The escalating war of words has led to a succession of Western diplomats converging on Beirut to urge restraint. Nasrallah also accused Israel of underreporting its military losses, claiming that Hezbollah has released footage showing “tanks exploding… sometimes with soldiers sitting on top of them”.
According to an AFP tally, nearly three months of cross-border fire have resulted in the deaths of 175 people in Lebanon, including 129 Hezbollah fighters, as well as more than 20 civilians, including three journalists.