Iran anticipates Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group backed by Tehran, will expand its attacks deeper into Israel and no longer confine its targets to military sites. This statement comes after the recent killing of a Hezbollah military commander by Israel.
Hezbollah has been engaged in regular exchanges of fire with Israeli forces, focusing on military targets along the border since Hamas launched its attack on Israel on October 7, which triggered the Gaza conflict. However, the dynamics changed following an Israeli strike in a densely populated residential area of South Beirut.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations, as reported by the official IRNA news agency, indicated that Hezbollah is expected to select more varied targets and extend its strikes beyond military objectives in response to recent developments.
The Israeli strike that killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr also resulted in civilian casualties, with five people, including three women and two children, reported dead by Lebanon’s health ministry.
Israel had accused Shukr of orchestrating rocket attacks that led to the deaths of 12 youths in the Golan Heights and directing Hezbollah’s operations against Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza war.
The statement from Iran’s mission noted that prior to the strike, Hezbollah and Israel had maintained certain boundaries, including restricting attacks to border areas and military targets. The recent strike, which crossed these boundaries, has prompted an anticipated escalation.
Following Shukr’s death, the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was also killed in a targeted attack in Tehran, according to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Israel has refrained from commenting on the incident.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has vowed that Israel and its allies will face a strong response to the killings of both Shukr and Haniyeh. Iran and Hamas have similarly pledged retaliation.
