Lebanese Prime Minister Slams Hezbollah as Terror Group Joins Iran War

The IDF launched a wide-scale campaign against Hezbollah as the terror group fired rockets and drones at Israel in solidarity with the regime in Iran. The IDF’s chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, said that Israel launched an “offensive campaign against Hezbollah” following the rocket and drone fire at northern Israel overnight and that the army is not operating only defensively: “We are now going on the offensive as well.”“We must prepare for many prolonged days of combat ahead. This requires strong defensive readiness and sustained offensive readiness, operating in continuous waves while constantly utilizing opportunities,” Mr. Zamir said. Defense Minister Yisrael Katz warned that “from now on” Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, “is a marked target for elimination.”The IDF spokesman, Brigadier General Effie Defrin, said the IDF struck “dozens of command centers and rocket launch sites belonging to the organization. We struck senior commanders, among the last remaining top officials still alive in that organization.”IDF’s Northern Command chief, Rafi Milo, said, meanwhile, that the army is “acting to evacuate civilians in southern Lebanon ahead of further strikes,” and that the IDF “significantly reinforced force deployment along the border” and is prepared to receive additional troops. “We will not evacuate you,” he added. Saudi-owned outlet Al-Arabiya reported that Mohammad Raad, head of Hezbollah’s bloc in the Lebanese parliament, was among those killed in the Israeli attacks in Beirut. The IDF’s Arabic-language spokeswoman, Lieutenant Colonel Ella Waweya, issued a statement along with a map of southern Lebanon, calling on residents to evacuate ahead of Israeli attacks. “For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move at least 1,000 meters away from the villages to open areas,” Colonel Waweya said. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned Hezbollah following its rocket and drone attacks, calling it an “irresponsible and suspicious act that endangers Lebanon’s security and safety and provides Israel with pretexts to continue its attacks on it.” Added Mr. Salam: “We will not allow the country to be dragged into new adventures, and we will take all necessary measures to stop the perpetrators and protect the Lebanese.” The Lebanese justice minister, meanwhile, ordered authorities to arrest the Hezbollah members who fired the rockets and drones. Hezbollah’s chief, Naim Qassem, said on Sunday that the terror group would “undertake our duty of confronting the aggression” of the United States and Israel. Hezbollah vowed last week that an American or Israeli attack on Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, as well as attempts to change the regime, constituted a “red line” for the Iranian proxy. Israel has ramped up attacks against Hezbollah in recent weeks, suspecting that the terror group was prepared to join Iran in case of a war. While the Lebanese army said that Hezbollah has been disarmed in southern Lebanon, Prime Minister Netanyahu said in January that the army’s efforts “are an encouraging beginning, but they are far from sufficient, as evidenced by Hezbollah’s efforts to rearm and rebuild its terror infrastructure with Iranian support.”

Lebanese Prime Minister Slams Hezbollah as Terror Group Joins Iran War

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