Is Hezbollah holding back or planning a response to Israel's assault?
Published June 13th, 2025 - 12:17 GMT
ALBAWABA - Hezbollah has denied launching any direct attack on Israel in response to the major Israeli airstrikes that struck Iranian targets early Friday. A senior official from the group told Reuters that Hezbollah would not initiate a response, though it condemned the Israeli operation and reaffirmed its full support for Iran.
Meanwhile, Israeli media detailed the scope of the air assault, describing it as a highly coordinated campaign involving over 200 fighter jets targeting more than 100 strategic Iranian sites. The strike, launched around 3:00 a.m., reportedly aimed to neutralize high-ranking Iranian commanders, damage nuclear facilities, and cripple air defense infrastructure.
Among the key casualties were IRGC commander Hossein Salami and military chief Mohammad Bagheri, both confirmed dead by Iranian state media. Additional reports indicated that several nuclear scientists were also killed. A senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Shamkhani, was reportedly critically injured.
'The Zionist regime's aggression was carried out with the support of America... This crime will not go unanswered' — Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem
'Iran will continue to be at the forefront of an exceptional model of support for noble and oppressed nations' pic.twitter.com/jCpeVnN7XZ — RT (@RT_com) June 13, 2025
Iranian sources confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei remains unharmed and is being briefed regularly. In a later statement, Khamenei acknowledged the loss of top officials and vowed severe retaliation, promising that Israel would pay a heavy price for what he called a calculated act of aggression.
The attack has heightened regional tension, though Hezbollah clarified it would not escalate the situation independently. Still, the group's strong condemnation signals its alignment with Tehran amid growing fears of a broader confrontation.
© 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Roya News
2 hours ago
- Roya News
Khamenei's top aide killed in 'Israeli' strike: Iran media
Ali Shamkhani, a top advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was said Saturday to be killed in an 'Israeli' airstrike on Friday that targeted a "sensitive military center' in Western Iran, according to Iranian media. Shamkhani was Iran's defense minister between 1997 and 2005, and the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from 2013 to 2023.
Al Bawaba
2 hours ago
- Al Bawaba
Reports circulate alleging evacuation of Iranian leaders families
Published June 14th, 2025 - 06:25 GMT ALBAWABA - As military tensions between Iran and Israel rise, there have been a number of unproven stories on social media and opposition media sources saying that the families of high-ranking Iranian officials are being quietly taken out of the country. Sources in the Iranian resistance say that video has been released that supposedly shows private planes taking families of top regime leaders out of Iran. A fifth plane is said to have recently left Iranian airspace and was flying low between mountains on its way to the Russian border, according to one source. The reasons for these reported evacuations are still not clear, but there is rising talk that some Iranian leaders may be running away because they are afraid of vengeance from Israel or trouble in their own country. People on social media have made symbolic connections to the plane that took Ayatollah Khomeini back to Iran in 1979, saying that these planes are now taking regime supporters out of the country that is in danger. Even though none of these claims have been publicly confirmed by Iranian officials, they have sparked a public discussion about how confident the Iranian government is in the face of growing pressure from outside the country and unrest within it. Iranian opposition media outlets are circulating footage claiming to show families of regime leaders being evacuated from Iran — Michael A. Horowitz (@michaelh992) June 14, 2025 Iran and Israel are still firing missiles and drones at each other, and the whole region is on high watch in case things get worse. — د. مشكك (@Dr__Sceptic) June 14, 2025 On the same day, Israeli Channel 13 reported that the families of several cabinet members and ministers have also been moved to safe places inside Israel in case Iran attacks in response to current military operations. This is happening even though there are still limits on flights and the security situation in the area is generally unstable. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Al Bawaba
3 hours ago
- Al Bawaba
Female Israeli pilot captured by Iran after F-35 jet shot down
ALBAWABA - Iranian media said on Saturday that an Israeli pilot was taken prisoner by Iranian military special forces after they shot down an F-35 fighter aircraft over western Iran. Although no official video or confirmation has been made public yet, it has been stated that the pilot successfully evacuated before being captured. As part of its air defense operations, the Iranian army has previously stated that it had successfully targeted and destroyed several drones and two Israeli F-35 fighter planes. The fate of the Israeli pilots is still being investigated, the official IRNA news agency said. Israel, however, has refuted the allegations. Agence France-Presse (AFP) was informed by an unidentified Israeli official that any loss of aircraft over Iranian territory was "false news," denying claims of downed fighter planes. Israeli attacks against Iranian targets have persisted in spite of the denial. Iran's national media said that after breaking into Iranian airspace close to the Salmas border, its soldiers shot down several Israeli drones engaged in surveillance missions. The deputy governor of Lorestan Province was reported by Tasnim News Agency as stating that Iranian troops had intercepted and destroyed four Israeli drones and small planes above Khorramabad. The events take place while tensions between the two nations are rising, with both sides exchanging airstrikes and military threats in one of the most heated conflicts in recent memory.
