By Maya Gebeily
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Hezbollah’s deputy leader said in comments released on Tuesday that the group had “overcome” the painful blows inflicted by Israel, as Israeli forces began ground operations in southwestern Lebanon, expanding their incursions into a new area. .
Naim Qassem said Hezbollah would not be the first to give in in the war against its archenemy Israel and that its capabilities are still intact, adding that Israel has yet to move forward after ground clashes broke out in southern Lebanon seven days ago.
Qassem said Hezbollah supports the efforts of Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to secure a ceasefire. It was the first time the movement did not explicitly link the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon to a ceasefire in Gaza, although it was unclear whether this indicated any change in position after a year in which it had said it was fighting in support of the Palestinians.
“In any case, after the ceasefire issue takes shape, and once diplomacy can achieve it, all other details can be discussed and decisions can be made,” Qassem said in a televised speech.
“If the enemy (Israel) continues its war, then the battlefield will decide,” he added.
Regional tensions sparked a year ago by the attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas on southern Israel have escalated into a series of Israeli ground and air operations over Lebanon and direct Iranian attacks on Israeli military facilities.
WARNING FROM IRAN
Iran warned Israel on Tuesday against any attack on the Islamic Republic, a week after Tehran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel.
Any attack on Iran’s infrastructure will be met with retaliation, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said.
Araqchi will visit Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries starting Tuesday to discuss regional issues and work to stop Israel’s attacks on Gaza and Lebanon. Gulf Arab states have sought to assure Tehran of their neutrality in the Iran-Israel conflict, sources told Reuters last week.
“Our dialogue continues regarding developments in the region to prevent the shameless crimes of the Zionist regime in Lebanon from continuing the crimes in Gaza,” Araqchi said in a video broadcast by state media.
“Starting today I will begin a trip to the region, to Riyadh and other capitals in the region and we will strive to have a collective movement of the countries in the region… to stop the brutal attacks in Lebanon.”
ISRAEL MAINTAINS PRESSURE ON HEZBOLLAH
In Lebanon, the Israeli military increased pressure on Hezbollah, saying it was carrying out “limited, localized and targeted operations” in southwestern Lebanon after announcing similar operations for the southeastern border area.
A World Food Program official expressed concern Tuesday about Lebanon’s food supply, saying thousands of hectares of farmland across the country’s south have been burned or abandoned.
“In terms of agriculture and food production, there is extraordinary concern about Lebanon’s ability to continue feeding itself,” Matthew Hollingworth, WFP Lebanon director, said at a news conference in Geneva, adding that there will be no Crops and produce are rotting in the fields.
World Health Organization official Ian Clarke said in Beirut at the same briefing that there was a much higher risk of disease outbreaks among Lebanon’s displaced population.
Israel’s military attacked Beirut’s southern suburbs again overnight and said it killed a senior Hezbollah figure responsible for the group’s budget and logistics. If confirmed, Suhail Hussein Husseini’s death would be the latest in a series of Israeli assassinations of leaders and commanders of Hezbollah and its ally Hamas.
In the biggest blow to Hezbollah in decades, Israel killed its leader Hassan Nasrallah with an airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut late last month.
Many Israelis have regained confidence in their vaunted military and intelligence force after the deadly blows taken in recent weeks against Hezbollah’s command structure.
The situation in Lebanon is getting worse by the day, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told the European Parliament on Tuesday, calling for a ceasefire.
About 20% of the Lebanese population was forced to move, he said.