Hezbollah Says 'Prepared' for Action Against Israel When Time Comes

Solidarity rally with Gaza in Beirut's southern suburb (AFP)
Solidarity rally with Gaza in Beirut's southern suburb (AFP)
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Hezbollah Says 'Prepared' for Action Against Israel When Time Comes

Solidarity rally with Gaza in Beirut's southern suburb (AFP)
Solidarity rally with Gaza in Beirut's southern suburb (AFP)

Lebanon's Hezbollah said it would be fully prepared to take action against Israel to support the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip when the time is right.

During a solidarity rally in Beirut, Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem said: "We, as Hezbollah, are contributing to the confrontation and will (continue) to contribute to it within our vision and plan."

"We are fully prepared, and when the time comes for action, we will take it," he said, adding: "We will contribute to the confrontation within our plan... when the time comes for any action, we will carry it out."

Outreach by "major countries, Arab countries, and envoys from the United Nations, directly and indirectly, asking us not to interfere in the battle, will not affect us," he said, adding: "Hezbollah knows its duties."

On Friday, over a thousand participants joined Beirut's southern suburbs' rally to support Gaza, carrying Palestinian flags and solidarity banners.

Najwa Ali, a Palestinian refugee born in Beirut 57 years ago, participated in the solidarity rally.

"I have never seen Palestine, but when I go back one day, it will be with my head held high, without an Israeli soldier telling me where to go or what to do," she told AFP.

She indicated that the Israelis attacked and expelled her ancestors from Palestine in 1948, asserting that "blood will not stop flowing until we regain Palestine."

Fatima, 25, stresses that the Lebanese will not push towards war, but it will break out if Israel invades Gaza.

Hundreds gathered in various cities and villages across Lebanon and Palestinian refugee camps to support Gaza and protest the Israeli atrocities.

So far, Hezbollah has made limited moves in the war, but analysts believe it may be forced to open a new front if Israel launches a ground attack on Gaza.

Israel has been targeting Lebanese areas daily, and Hezbollah has targeted Israeli sites in a disputed border area since Sunday.

Despite the exchange of bombings that raised the tension at the border, Hezbollah's direct intervention remains limited.

A balance of deterrence has prevailed between the two sides since the 2006 war, which left more than 1,200 dead on the Lebanese side, mostly civilians, and 160 dead on the Israeli side, mainly from the military.



UN Security Council Says Peacekeeping Force Should Remain on the Israel-Syria Border

Israeli army humvees move in the UN-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights, near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
Israeli army humvees move in the UN-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights, near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
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UN Security Council Says Peacekeeping Force Should Remain on the Israel-Syria Border

Israeli army humvees move in the UN-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights, near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
Israeli army humvees move in the UN-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights, near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)

The UN Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution extending the UN peacekeeping force on the Israel-Syria border and underscoring that there should be no military activities in the demilitarized buffer zone.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israeli troops will occupy the buffer zone for the foreseeable future. Israel captured the buffer zone shortly after the collapse of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, The Associated Press said.
The resolution adopted Friday stressed that both countries are obligated “to scrupulously and fully respect” the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement that ended the 1973 war between Syria and Israel and established the buffer zone. The resolution was co-sponsored by the United States and Russia.
The Security Council extended the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force monitoring the border area, known as UNDOF, until June 30, 2025 and called for a halt to all military actions throughout the country including in UNDOF’s area of operations.
The resolution expresses concern that ongoing military activities in the area of separation have the potential to escalate Israeli-Syrian tensions and jeopardize the 1974 ceasefire. It also expresses alarm that violence in Syria “risks a serious conflagration of the conflict in the region.”