The Lebanese Hezbollah terror organization upped its anti-Israel rhetoric on Tuesday, saying it is fighting the Jewish state not just in solidarity with Hamas but also “in defense of Lebanon and its people.”
A statement released by the Iranian proxy group on Tuesday opened with, “Permission to fight has been granted to those for they have been wronged. And indeed, Allah [God] is competent to give them victory,” citing a verse from the Koran.
The statement went on to claim Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel were “In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in Gaza and in support of their valiant and honorable resistance and in defense of Lebanon and its people.”
Reporters for Qatar’s Al Jazeera outlet noted that Tuesday’s statement employed new language and could amount to a formal declaration of war, as previous Hezbollah announcements had only mentioned the Iranian-backed terror group’s support for Gaza and Hamas.
On Sunday morning, Israel served Al Jazeera‘s office in the Samaria city of Ramallah with a 45-day closure order due to what it said was the network’s support for terrorism.
The Hezbollah statement on Tuesday came as the Israel Defense Forces announced the second precision strike in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district in as many days. The target was Ibrahim Qubaisi, the head of Hezbollah’s missile array, according to the IDF.
The strike came less than 24 hours after the attempted assassination of Hezbollah’s No. 3 terrorist commander, Ali Karaki, in the same district.
Hezbollah has attacked Israel nearly daily in support of Hamas since Oct. 8, firing thousands of rockets, missiles and drones. The attacks have killed more than 40 people and caused widespread damage. Tens of thousands of Israelis remain internally displaced due to the violence.
On Tuesday, the IDF said that the Israeli Air Force had struck over 1,600 Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley over the past 24 hours as part of “Operation Northern Arrows.”
Jerusalem has escalated attacks on Hezbollah since adding the return home of its displaced citizens to its official war goals on Sept. 17.
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