Hezbollah “ready” to fight Israel in Lebanon amid new war threats

Eighteen years after the last major war between Israel and Hezbollah, a spokesperson for the Lebanese movement has told Newsweek the group was prepared to thwart any new Israeli offensive amid repeated threats from senior Israeli officials over worsening cross-border clashes tied to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

The latest Israeli warning had come from Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Northern Command chief Major General Ori Gordin, who said during an Israel-Lebanon War anniversary ceremony on Wednesday that his forces “are prepared and ready” to fight Hezbollah on its own territory, “and when given the command, the enemy will meet a strong and prepared army.”

Just two days earlier, IDF Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi asserted that “we are approaching the point where a decision will have to be made” for larger-scale military action to address near-daily Hezbollah operations waged since a surprise attack led by the Palestinian Hamas movement almost exactly eight months ago sparked what has become the longest and deadliest-ever war in Gaza.

In response, however, a Hezbollah spokesperson cast doubt on the IDF’s ability to conduct such a campaign successfully.

“Since October 7, the Israelis have been threatening, but whoever has a loud voice cannot do anything,” the Hezbollah spokesperson told Newsweek. “They have not emerged from their quagmire in Gaza after eight months with any achievement other than killing innocent civilians and children.”

“Hezbollah is always ready for anything,” the spokesperson said, “and will defend its citizens and its land without any hesitation.”

The comments came a day after officials from Iran, Hezbollah’s key supporter, weighed in on the prospect of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordering a Lebanon offensive while still at war with Hamas in Gaza.

“We do not lend any credence whatsoever to the rhetoric of certain Israeli regime officials who threaten a ground offensive in southern Lebanon,” the Iranian Mission to the United Nations told Newsweek on Wednesday.

“Although Netanyahu might seek to escalate the crisis and expand the geography of the war to maintain his grip on power,” the Mission added at the time, “the rulers of the Zionist regime and its supporters are acutely aware that—having already failed against Hamas—they will undoubtedly face a more formidable defeat against Hezbollah, which boasts significantly superior military strength compared to Hamas.”

The Iranian Mission also touted Hezbollah’s military capabilities, which the IDF has estimated to consist of up to 200,000 rockets, as well as other armaments such as drones, mortars, anti-tank weapons and precision-guided missiles capable of reaching across all of Israel.

“Our assessment indicates that Hezbollah does not desire such a conflict but stands prepared for any eventuality,” the Iranian Mission said. “Hezbollah possesses sufficient capabilities to defend itself and Lebanon independently, without requiring assistance from Iran.”

Contacted by Newsweek, the IDF referred to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, to which Newsweek has reached out for comment. Newsweek has also contacted the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office for comment.

A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council referred Newsweek to remarks made by President Joe Biden during his speech Friday announcing a three-phase ceasefire agreement that would also allow for an Israeli-Palestinian prisoner exchange and, according to the U.S. leader, pave the way for de-escalation on the Israel-Lebanon border.

“And once a ceasefire and hostage deal is concluded, it unlocks the possibility of a great deal more progress, including calm along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon,” Biden said during his speech.

Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, echoed these comments during a press briefing Wednesday, telling reporters that “a ceasefire in Gaza can lead to a calm on the border between Israel and Lebanon—an end to the exchanges of fire that have destabilized but, beyond that, have cause death and destruction on both sides of the border.”

Israeli officials estimate that around 80,000 people have been evacuated from communities in northern Israel as a result of the fighting. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has placed the number of those displaced from southern Lebanon at nearly 93,000.

Clashes have intensified in recent weeks as Hezbollah claimed a series of rocket strikes that sparked massive wildfires across northern Israel on Monday, as well as a drone swarm attack and a direct hit on one of the IDF’s Iron Dome anti-rocket defense batteries in the following days. The group claimed several more operations on Thursday targeting IDF military barracks, reconnaissance posts and a site in the Israel-occupied Shebaa Farms.

The IDF, for its part, has also stepped up strikes in southern Lebanon, most recently claiming a series of airstrikes against military structures near the village of Aitaroun. Israeli forces have also conducted strikes further north into Lebanon, targeting senior Hezbollah commanders.

The violence is the worst to hit the border since July 2006, when tensions spilled over into a month-long war after Israel invaded Lebanon in response to a deadly cross-border raid conducted by Hezbollah. The conflict ended with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which resulted in Israel’s exit from Lebanese territory and called for Hezbollah’s withdrawal to 18 miles north of the border.

Both sides have accused one another of violating the resolution, with Israel arguing that Hezbollah has maintained a presence near the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)-patrolled Blue Line, and Hezbollah and Lebanese officials pointing to a lingering IDF presence near the buffer zone along with repeated aerial and maritime incursions into Lebanese territory.

In recent interviews with Newsweek, senior U.N. officials warned of the prospect of a major escalation as a result of the deteriorating security situation. At the same time, a spokesperson for Netanyahu’s office told Newsweek how the unfulfilled promises of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 have thus failed to secure Israel’s northern frontier.

Meanwhile, with exchanges of fire across the Israel-Lebanon border ongoing, the IDF and Hamas continue to battle in Gaza despite the U.S.-led ceasefire calls. The IDF has pressed further into the war-torn Palestinian territory despite mounting international concerns over the humanitarian impact and Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas was eliminated as military and governing entity.

Israeli officials estimate that around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the initial Hamas-led attack and that nearly 300 more IDF soldiers have been killed in the ensuing conflict. Palestinian officials in Hamas-led Gaza have placed the death toll on their side at more than 36,500, the majority being women and children, though the figures did not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.

The IDF has placed the death toll of Hamas at around 15,000 and that of Hezbollah at around 420 since the beginning of the war, though both groups have disputed the Israeli figures. At least dozens of civilians are also believed to have been killed on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border and such casualties are feared to increase substantially in the event of a severe escalation.

Speaking Wednesday during a visit near the Lebanese border, the Israeli premier vowed to “restore security in both the south and the north.”

“Whoever thinks he can hurt us and we will respond by sitting on our hands is making a big mistake,” Netanyahu said. “We are prepared for very intense action in the north. One way or another, we will restore security to the north.”

This is a developing news story. More information will be added as it becomes available.