HomeFeaturesHezbollah Intensifies Rocket Fire As Israel Sends More Troops

Hezbollah Intensifies Rocket Fire As Israel Sends More Troops

Hezbollah in another defiant act has reportedly fired another barrage of rockets into Israel on Tuesday, and the militant group’s acting leader has also vowed to keep up pressure that has forced tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes near the Lebanese border.

The Israeli military said it sent more ground troops into southern Lebanon and that a senior Hezbollah commander was killed in an airstrike.

Dozens of rockets fired by Hezbollah were aimed as far south as Haifa, and the Israeli government warned residents north of the coastal city to limit activities, prompting the closure of more schools. The Israeli military said Hezbollah launched more than 170 rockets across the border.

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Sheikh Naim Kassem, Hezbollah’s acting leader, said its military capabilities remain intact after weeks of heavy Israeli airstrikes across large parts of Lebanon, and attacks that killed its top commanders in a matter of days. He said Israeli forces have not been able to advance since launching a ground incursion into Lebanon last week.

Kassem, speaking by video from an undisclosed location, also said Hezbollah will name a new leader to succeed longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, “but the circumstances are difficult because of the war.”

In a statement addressed to the people of Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Hezbollah “weaker than it has been for many, many years.” He added: “We took out thousands of terrorists, including Nasrallah himself, and Nasrallah’s replacement, and the replacement of his replacement,” without naming them.

Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a bunker in Beirut last month. Hashem Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah who oversees the group’s political affairs, was generally regarded as the heir apparent. But no announcement has been made on a successor, and Safieddine has not appeared publicly or made any public statements since Nasrallah’s death.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, said Tuesday night that Israel was still checking the status of Safieddine, and accused Hezbollah of trying to hide details of a recent strike in Beirut on a location where he was believed to have been.

The Israeli military said it has dismantled militant infrastructure along the border and killed hundreds of Hezbollah fighters. On Tuesday, it said a strike in Beirut had killed Suhail Husseini, who it described as a senior commander responsible for overseeing logistics, budget and management of the militant group.

 

The Eastern Updates 

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