Hezbollah warns of strikes on new Israeli targets as fears grow of wider war
Israel says it is striking Hezbollah militants and infrastructure in Lebanon, denies targeting civilians
Hezbollah will hit new Israeli targets if Israel keeps targeting civilians in Lebanon, the group's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said on Wednesday, noting a spike in the number of non-combatants killed in Lebanon in recent days.
Five civilians, all Syrians and including three children, were killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon on Tuesday and at least three Lebanese civilians were killed the day before, according to state media and security sources.
Israel has said it is striking Hezbollah militants and infrastructure in Lebanon and does not target civilians.
"Continuing to target civilians will push the Resistance to launch missiles at settlements that were not previously targeted," Nasrallah said in comments made during a televised address to mark the Shia holy day Ashura.
Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group and the most powerful military and political force in Lebanon, refers to all Israeli population centres as settlements and does not recognize Israel.
Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's ensuing military offensive in Gaza.
Iran-aligned groups in the region, including armed Shia factions in Syria and Iraq and Yemen's Houthis, have also been firing on Israel since shortly after Oct. 7.
In Lebanon, the fighting has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.
Heightened security on holy day
Nasrallah vowed that destroyed homes would be rebuilt.
Nasrallah also played down Israel's ability to fight a full-scale war in Lebanon, saying its military capabilities had been degraded in Gaza and asserting that all of the Israeli army's tanks would face destruction should they enter Lebanon.
He was speaking via video link to tens of thousands of Shia Muslims gathered in southern Beirut to mark Ashura.
The annual period of mourning to commemorate the seventh-century death of Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is often a moment for Hezbollah to showcase its popular support and military might.
Mourners clad in black marched and slapped their chests in a practice meant to evoke the pain felt by Hussein at the time of his killing.
Many carried images of Hezbollah fighters killed by Israel in more than nine months of fighting.
To maintain security, hundreds of Hezbollah members were deployed at checkpoints, mounted on motorbikes and positioned on rooftops, including those armed with new weapons with technology that sources familiar with the matter said could interfere with and down drones.
This year, processions in southern Lebanon were cancelled due to the clashes with Israel.
Fears have grown among international observers in recent weeks that Israel may expand its military operations in Lebanon, risking a wider war.
Israel has said it is undertaking the necessary preparations for a wider operation but no decision has yet been made. Hezbollah has said it does not want war with Israel, but is ready for it.