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Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that Lebanon would be “exposed” to Israeli attacks if his terror group does not respond to the alleged killing of a senior Hamas official in Beirut.
Hamas deputy leader Saleh Arouri and three others were killed in an airstrike in Beirut on Tuesday. Hezbollah media blamed Israel for the attack, but Israeli officials denied involvement.
In a televised address – his second in less than a week – Nasrallah said Hezbollah “cannot remain silent about a breach of this level.”
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“This means that the entire Lebanon will be exposed, all cities, villages and personalities will be exposed,” he said.
Hezbollah leader threatens Israel, saying there is no fear of war after the death of a top Hamas official
Lebanese Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivers a televised address at a memorial ceremony to mark a week since the death of Mohammad Yaghi, one of the armed group's powerful figures, in Baalbek, Lebanon, January 5, 2024. (Portal/Mohamed Azakir)
Iran-backed Hezbollah has fired rockets at Israeli military posts along Israel's northern border since October 8 in support of Hamas. The attacks began a day after the Palestinian terror group carried out deadly attacks on Israel that killed about 1,200 Israelis, leading to an Israeli retaliatory war in Gaza.
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Nasrallah said Hezbollah had carried out 670 military operations on the Israel-Lebanese border in nearly three months since the start of the war. He claimed his fighters destroyed large numbers of Israeli military vehicles and tanks.
He also said that the Jewish state would attack Lebanon if Israel achieved its military goal of eradicating Hamas in Gaza. But he warned that an expanded conflict would initially harm residents of northern Israel.
“They are calling on their government to go to war against Lebanon or to find a military solution for Lebanon. I tell them: This decision is a mistake for you and your government, and the first person to pay for this wrong decision is you.” “You,” said Nasrallah.
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TOP HAMAS OFFICIAL KILLED IN BEIRUT EXPLOSION, HEZBOLLAH MEDIA SAY
People look at posters of former Iranian Quds Force chief Qassem Suleimani, Lebanese Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Houthi leader Mahdi al-Mashat in Sabeen Square in Sanaa, Yemen, January 4, 2024. (Portal/Khaled Abdullah)
On Wednesday, Hezbollah's leader said there would be “no ceilings” and “no rules” on Hezbollah's response if Israel expands the war into Lebanon.
“Whoever thinks of war with us – in a word, he will regret it,” Nasrallah said.
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He also said the end of the Gaza war could represent a “historic opportunity” for Lebanon to restore its control over territory now occupied by Israel, including Shebaa Farms, the city of Ghajar and other areas.
Israel has owned the Shebaa Farms, a 39 square kilometer piece of land, since 1967. Both Syria and Lebanon claim the Shebaa Farms are Lebanese. Ghajar lies on the border between Israel and Lebanon. Lebanon considers it its territory, but its residents have declared allegiance to Syria.
EU foreign policy chief fears “open war” and escalation after death of Hamas leader: “Cannot be ruled out”
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People carry placards with pictures of Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri, who was killed by an Israeli drone strike, according to Lebanese and Palestinian security sources, as mourners gather during his funeral in Beirut, Lebanon, January 4, 2024. Israel has denied killing Arouri in the attack. (Portal/Mohamed Azakir)
Israeli officials denied involvement in the attack that killed Arouri, but noted the “surgical” precision of the strike.
“Israel has not claimed responsibility for this attack,” Ambassador Mark Regev, a Netanyahu adviser, told MSNBC. “But whoever did it must be clear that it was not an attack on the Lebanese state.”
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“It wasn’t even an attack on the terrorist organization Hezbollah,” he added. “Whoever did this delivered a surgical strike to the Hamas leadership.”
Israel fought a 34-day war with Hezbollah in July and August 2006. Israel lost an estimated 120 soldiers during the fighting, while Hezbollah lost more than 1,000 fighters.
Fox News Digital's Brandon Drey, Timothy HJ Nerozzi, Greg Norman and Portal contributed to this report.