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Hezbollah Pledges Strong Response to Israel over Killing of Military Chief, Alone or with Allies

29 July 2024, Lebanon, Qlayaa: Heavy smoke billow from the Lebanese southern border village of Kfar Kila after it was targeted by Israeli shelling. (dpa)
29 July 2024, Lebanon, Qlayaa: Heavy smoke billow from the Lebanese southern border village of Kfar Kila after it was targeted by Israeli shelling. (dpa)
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Hezbollah Pledges Strong Response to Israel over Killing of Military Chief, Alone or with Allies

29 July 2024, Lebanon, Qlayaa: Heavy smoke billow from the Lebanese southern border village of Kfar Kila after it was targeted by Israeli shelling. (dpa)
29 July 2024, Lebanon, Qlayaa: Heavy smoke billow from the Lebanese southern border village of Kfar Kila after it was targeted by Israeli shelling. (dpa)

The leader of Hezbollah on Tuesday pledged a "strong and effective" response to the killing of its military commander by Israel last week and said it would act either alone or with its regional allies.

Hassan Nasrallah said Hezbollah would wait for the right moment to respond but did not hint on its form or timing. All international attempts at persuading Hezbollah not to retaliate were futile, he said.

"Whatever the consequences, the resistance will not let these Israeli attacks pass by," he said in a televised address to mark one week since the assassination of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

"Our response, God willing, will be strong, effective and impactful."

Members and supporters of Hezbollah gathered to watch the speech in a southern suburb of Beirut. Just before his speech began, Israeli warplanes swooped low over the Lebanese capital, setting off a series of sonic booms that rattled windows across the city and sent people ducking for cover.

There was no comment from the Israeli military.

Concern is rising that the Middle East could tip into full-blown war following Hezbollah's vows to avenge Shukr's killing, and Iran's anger over the assassination in Tehran last week of the head of Palestinian group Hamas.

The strike that killed Shukr on July 30 was the second time Israel had struck the southern suburbs in 10 months of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli that are taking place in parallel with the war in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

Hezbollah earlier on Tuesday said it launched a swarm of attack drones at two military sites near Acre in northern Israel and attacked an Israeli military vehicle in another location.

The Israeli military said a number of hostile drones were identified crossing from Lebanon and one was intercepted.

Israeli medical officials said seven people were evacuated to hospital, to the south of the coastal city of Nahariya, one in critical condition.

The Israeli military said an initial investigation indicated the injuries were caused by an interceptor that "missed the target and hit the ground, injuring several civilians".

Reuters journalists saw one impact site near a bus stop on a main road outside Nahariya.

The Israeli military said in a statement sirens sounded around Acre, but that turned out to be a false alarm. It said its air force struck two Hezbollah facilities in south Lebanon.

Earlier on Tuesday, four Hezbollah fighters were killed in a strike on a home in the Lebanese town of Mayfadoun, nearly 30 km (19 miles) north of the border, medics and a security source said.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese caretaker government is trying to prevent a Hezbollah response against Israel that could start a wider war, Lebanon's foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib said on Tuesday during a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart.

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Baghdad Urges Washington to Prevent ‘Imminent’ Israeli Strikes

Sudani visiting a market in Baghdad on Thursday (Government media)
Sudani visiting a market in Baghdad on Thursday (Government media)
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Baghdad Urges Washington to Prevent ‘Imminent’ Israeli Strikes

Sudani visiting a market in Baghdad on Thursday (Government media)
Sudani visiting a market in Baghdad on Thursday (Government media)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani on Thursday called on major powers to “exert greater efforts to end the war in Palestine and Lebanon.” Meanwhile, an Iraqi government official urged the United States to “prevent any attacks on the country,” referring to potential Israeli strikes.
During a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Al-Sudani stressed the importance of ensuring the conflict does not escalate “to a level that threatens regional and global stability.”
The Iraqi prime minister’s appeal comes amid reports suggesting that Israel may launch strikes on Iraq in retaliation for attacks by Iraqi armed factions targeting Israeli positions.
The Iraqi government is striving to assert its exclusive authority over weapons and war-related decisions. However, armed factions affiliated with the Axis of Resistance openly claim responsibility for near-daily rocket attacks on Israel. This has provided Israel with a justification for potentially targeting Iraqi territory, especially after it filed a complaint with the UN Security Council against six Iraqi factions and held Baghdad responsible for the attacks.
These factions have also openly declared their involvement in the ongoing conflict with Israel in Lebanon and Gaza. The Iraqi government has been unable to take decisive action to halt the activities of these factions, which many believe could soon expose Iraq to an Israeli strike.
According to media reports, Washington has warned Baghdad that Israeli airstrikes on Iraq are “imminent” unless the Iraqi government curtails attacks by Iranian-backed factions on Israel. The Times of Israel cited sources indicating that the United States has “exhausted all means of pressure on Israel” and urged Iraq to act swiftly to prevent such attacks.
Despite repeated assurances from the Iraqi government—including its recent adoption of 12 measures by the National Security Council to counter Israeli threats and complaints—the situation remains tense. These measures include monitoring Iraq’s western borders, preventing factions from launching attacks, and maintaining Iraq’s neutrality in the ongoing conflict.
On Wednesday, Abu Hussein Al-Hamidawi, Secretary-General of Kata’ib Hezbollah, made a striking statement on the role of resistance factions in the war and their commitment to the Unity of Fronts doctrine frequently mentioned by Axis of Resistance groups.
In an interview published by the faction’s media arm, Al-Hamidawi said: “The continuity of the Unity of Fronts concept depends on what the Lebanese Hezbollah decides.”
Al-Hamidawi also emphasized that resistance factions are constantly coordinating internally and with external partners such as Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Palestinian resistance leaders.
“We aim to ensure that the Palestinian people are not left alone and that the Unity of Fronts remains intact,” he stated.
Fadi Al-Shammari, a political advisor to Sudani, reiterated that Israel’s threats “are not new,” citing the recent complaint filed by Israel with the UN Security Council as part of its pattern of issuing threats.
In media statements, Al-Shammari reaffirmed the Iraqi government’s long-standing position: “The decision of war and peace lies solely with the Iraqi government.”
He noted that the factions’ attacks are being launched from areas outside Iraq’s borders, specifically from Syria. However, he stressed that the Iraqi government is working through its security and military agencies to prevent Iraq from becoming a battlefield for external or internal parties.
Al-Shammari also called on the United States to fulfill its responsibilities under the Strategic Framework Agreement and security pact with Iraq, emphasizing the need to deter and respond to any external attacks that threaten Iraq’s internal security.