Hezbollah has issued a stern warning following an Israeli strike in Lebanon that resulted in the deaths of eight of its operatives. The escalating tensions come amid Lebanon’s government reiterating its commitment to disarm Hezbollah, while Israel maintains its right to defend itself against the Iran-backed militant group.
The Israeli military reported on Friday that it targeted Hezbollah command centers in eastern Lebanon, alongside locations linked to Hamas in the southern region. Hezbollah confirmed on Saturday that eight members had been killed in the strikes, contradicting Lebanon’s health ministry report that stated a total of ten fatalities, with two additional deaths in the south.
Mahmud Qamati, a Hezbollah official, denounced the strikes as a “new massacre” and “new aggression,” emphasizing the group’s perceived obligation to resist. “What option do we have left to defend ourselves and our country? What option do we have other than resistance?” he proclaimed during a broadcast on Al-Manar.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun has condemned these recent attacks. This escalation follows the government’s announcement that the military would begin the second phase of its plan to disarm Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The airstrikes come amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran, with U.S. President Donald Trump threatening military action concerning Iran’s nuclear program. Iran is known to support various armed factions in the region, including both Hezbollah and Hamas.
In Baalbek, a mass funeral was held for commander Hussein Mohammad Yaghi and another fighter, drawing hundreds of mourners who displayed Hezbollah flags and voiced their allegiance. An anonymous Hezbollah official informed that the eight fighters were attending a meeting in the Bekaa region at the time of the strike.
Israeli military sources stated that multiple command centers housing “terrorists of Hezbollah’s missile array” were targeted in the Baalbek area. An AFP correspondent on the ground witnessed a bulldozer clearing debris from a building heavily damaged during the strike.
Targeting residential areas, these raids coincided with an earlier Israeli strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in the south, which also resulted in civilian casualties, according to Hamas. The Palestinian group described the attack as leading to unnecessary loss of life, claiming that the targeted facility was essential for security and stability within the camp.
Israel’s operations in Lebanon have persisted despite a ceasefire established in November 2024, aimed at curbing hostilities with Hezbollah. The Israeli military continues to argue that its strikes are focused on militant targets while occasionally addressing Hamas.
President Aoun labeled the attacks as a “blatant act of aggression,” undermining diplomatic efforts by the U.S. and other nations striving for stability in the region. The United States, along with other nations, is involved in a multinational committee overseeing the ceasefire which is set to reconvene next week.
Hezbollah lawmaker Rami Abu Hamdan criticized the authorities for downplaying the seriousness of these Israeli strikes and called for a suspension of the committee’s meetings until such attacks cease. Last year, the Lebanese government vowed to disarm Hezbollah, with the army indicating progress in recent efforts near the Israeli border.
The situation remains volatile, particularly as Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem previously stated that any assault on the group’s Iranian backers would equate to an attack on Hezbollah itself, underscoring the intricate connections in this multi-faceted conflict.
