Hezbollah’s deputy leader has said his group is now in an open-ended battle of reckoning with Israel, and he is threatening to displace more people in the country’s north.
Speaking during the funeral of top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil, Naim Kassem warned: “We admit that we are pained. We are humans. But as we are pained, you will also be pained.”
His comments follow days of surprise Israeli attacks that have wounded thousands of people in Lebanon and killed members of Hezbollah, and hours after the militant group responded by launching rockets deep into northern Israel, including near the city of Haifa.
Mr Kassem vowed the ongoing conflict will destroy Israel’s economy and told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he will not achieve his goals.
The deputy leader said Hezbollah, which has lost several senior military leaders in recent months, has “returned stronger, and the frontline will witness this”.
Mr Kassem said Hezbollah will stop attacking northern Israel only if the country can reach a ceasefire in Gaza with Hamas, and that a military solution will not allow the tens of thousands of people displaced from northern Israel to return.