Hezbollah will target targets in Israel if its army continues to strike civilians in Lebanon, the leader of this Shiite group, Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, said on Wednesday, July 17th. He pointed out that the number of citizens killed in Lebanon has increased sharply in recent days.
Five civilians, all Syrians and three children, were killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon on Tuesday, and at least three Lebanese civilians were killed a day earlier, according to state media and security sources in Lebanon.
Israel has said it is attacking Hezbollah militants and its infrastructure in Lebanon and is not targeting civilians.
“Continuing to target civilians will encourage Hezbollah to launch rockets at settlements that were not previously targeted,” Nasrallah said during a televised address marking the Shiite holy day of Ashura.
Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group and the most powerful military and political force in Lebanon, does not recognize Israel.
More than 100 civilians and 300 Hezbollah fighters have been killed in the fighting in Lebanon, according to Reuters. It also caused devastation in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israeli-Lebanese war.
To maintain security, hundreds of Hezbollah fighters are deployed at checkpoints, mounted on motorbikes and rooftops, including new weapons such as technology that experts say can jam and shoot down drones.
This year, the processions in southern Lebanon were canceled due to the conflict with Israel, RSE writes.
E.Dz.
