As Iran-Israel Conflict Escalates, Battered Hezbollah Stays Out of Fight

Newsweek

19 hours ago

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A Hezbollah spokesperson told Newsweek on Friday that the Lebanese group remains committed to a ceasefire agreement with Israel after the country launched an attack on Iran.
"Hezbollah is committed to the ceasefire agreement, even though Israel has not respected this commitment over the past period," the spokesperson said. "It continues to kill, assassinate, and attack areas, including entering border villages and remaining at the five points."
Reuters also cited a Hezbollah official on Friday as saying that the group "will not initiate its own attack on Israel in retaliation for Israel's strike."
Hezbollah was one of several factions aligned with the Iran-led Axis of Resistance coalition to intervene in support of the Palestinian Hamas movement when it launched its October 7, 2023, surprise attack that set off a still-ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
Last year, Israel intensified operations against Hezbollah, killing its longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in September, and destroying much of the group's senior command and weapons stockpiles. Hezbollah signed a truce with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in November, though Israeli forces have continued to conduct occasional attacks in Lebanon and occupy five areas across the border.
Hezbollah portrayed the ceasefire as a defeat for Israel, while Israel announced victory over the group. Hezbollah has since repeatedly accused Israel of "breaking its promises" by failing to adhere to the terms of the deal, while rejecting Israeli allegations that the group was violating the conditions of their ceasefire.
Men dressed in military fatigues stand next to the coffins of Hezbollah official Hassan Bdeir (R) and his son Ali (L) who were killed in an Israeli strike that targeted their apartment the previous day,...
Men dressed in military fatigues stand next to the coffins of Hezbollah official Hassan Bdeir (R) and his son Ali (L) who were killed in an Israeli strike that targeted their apartment the previous day, on April 2, 2025. More
ANWAR AMRO/AFP/Getty Images
Israel's strikes against Iran late Thursday, dubbed "Operation Rising Lion," marked the deadliest and most destructive salvo against the Islamic Republic since the beginning of the war in Gaza and the subsequent regional conflict that erupted.
Iranian media have reported on a growing list of senior officials killed, including Iranian Armed Forces chief of staff Major General Mohammed Bagheri, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) chief Major General Hossein Salami and IRGC Aerospace Forces commander Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
Iranian outlets have also reported on the deaths of at least four nuclear scientists, along with an unspecified number of women and children in the strikes, which targeted military sites, nuclear facilities and residential areas across the country.
The strikes were met with promises of a "severe punishment" from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as other senior Iranian officials. The IDF has ordered a lockdown across Israel and has reported intercepting drones launched from Iran.
Nasrallah's successor, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem, also condemned the Israeli attack and warned of consequences.
"There is no justification for this Israeli aggression other than to silence the voice of truth that supports and backs the steadfast and proud Palestinian people in Gaza, their cause to liberate Palestine and Jerusalem, and the resistance in Lebanon and the region," Qassem said in a statement issued Thursday.
"This aggression will have significant repercussions on the stability of the region. It will not pass without a response and punishment."
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is a beacon of freedom, dignity, and pride," Qassem said. "It will remain a leading model of authentic freedom and support for the honorable and oppressed in our region and the world."
Naim also took aim at the United States, asserting that neither the U.S. nor Israel would "be able to influence the choices of the Islamic Republic of Iran, nor its role and position. Rather, its dignity and resilience will increase, and the Israeli entity will regret its barbarism and brutality."
While having suffered severe blows in its conflict with Israel, Hezbollah is still widely believed to possess significant military capabilities and remains a dominant force in Lebanon.
Qassem said that Hezbollah remained supportive of Iran and its decisions.
"We, in Hezbollah, our Islamic resistance, and our struggling people, adhere to our approach and resistance, and we support the Islamic Republic of Iran in its rights and position, and in all the steps and measures it takes to defend itself and its choices," Qassem said. "The criminal Israeli enemy and its tyrannical sponsor, America, will reap nothing but shame, disgrace, and loss."
Shortly after the Israeli attack, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement emphasizing that the U.S. did not play a role in the strikes and warning Iran against pursuing retaliatory action against U.S. positions in the region.
On Friday, President Donald Trump issued back-to-back statements blaming Iran for failing to adhere to his 60-day deadline for a nuclear deal issued in March and calling on the Islamic Republic to strike an agreement before further action ensued.
"There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire."
"No more death, no more destruction," he added. "JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE."