Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has threatened to launch rockets at new Israeli areas if Israel continues its attacks on Lebanese civilians. His statement comes amid a recent rise in noncombatant casualties in Lebanon.
On Tuesday, Lebanese media reported that Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed five people, including three Syrian children. In retaliation, Hezbollah fired approximately 100 rockets at various northern Israeli locations from Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning.
During a televised address on the Shiite holy day of Ashura, Nasrallah warned, “Continuing to target civilians will push the Resistance to launch missiles at settlements that were not previously targeted.” He also cautioned Israel against launching a ground invasion into Lebanon.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have been attacking Israeli communities and military posts along the border almost daily, claiming these actions support Gaza amid the ongoing conflict. Other Iran-aligned groups, including Shiite factions in Syria and Iraq and Yemen’s Houthis, have also targeted Israel following Hamas’s October 7 attack, which killed around 1,200 people and led to 251 kidnappings to Gaza.
Israel has indicated it can no longer tolerate Hezbollah’s presence along its border following the October 7 atrocities and has warned of possible military action if a diplomatic solution is not reached.
Nasrallah further threatened, “If your tanks come to southern Lebanon, you will not suffer a shortage of tanks, because you will have no tanks left,” referencing the Israel Defense Forces’ recent statement about a tank shortage due to war damages.
He pledged continued attacks on Israel as long as the Gaza conflict persists and dismissed rumors of a diplomatic agreement to cease hostilities on the Lebanese border, stating, “All that is being circulated about a finalized agreement regarding the situation on the Lebanese front is incorrect.”
Nasrallah also vowed to rebuild border towns to be “more beautiful than they were” and praised the resilience and support of southern Lebanon residents for resistance fighters.
The ongoing skirmishes have resulted in 12 civilian deaths in Israel and the deaths of 17 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been attacks from Syria, though no injuries have been reported. Hezbollah has reported 367 of its members killed by Israel, mostly in Lebanon and some in Syria. Additionally, 66 operatives from other groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have died in Lebanon.