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Newsweek
a day ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
As Iran-Israel Conflict Escalates, Battered Hezbollah Stays Out of Fight
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. 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."
Asharq Al-Awsat
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
The Lebanese-Israeli War Will Return… Unless
The war between Lebanon and Israel has reared its head once again. This comes after the ceasefire announced on November 27 was extended to February 18. While it was in effect, Israel violated the agreement 1,500 times, and Israel's Defense Minister announced that the occupied positions in Lebanon would be turned into a buffer zone. Assassinations of Hezbollah's military apparatus have accelerated, with several senior field commanders recently targeted. Among them was Hassan Bdeir, the deputy official in charge of Palestinian affairs in Hezbollah; an old photo of him aboard a plane with the late Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani has surfaced since he was killed. Another is Hassan Abbas Azeddine, whom the Israeli army identified as the head of the air defense system in Hezbollah's Badr Unit. Amid this escalation, Hezbollah has turned back its hardline position on armament. 'There is no such thing as disarmament,' we are now told after months of nods to openness. The fleeting flexibility shown by the party was the result of its long war with Israel, which cost the party the lives of both its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and his successor Hashem Saffiedine, in addition to the first and second line of security and military leaders. This radical shift could be explained by the position Hezbollah now finds itself in. It is cornered on all fronts and is particularly troubled by the challenges it had not anticipated when it agreed to the ceasefire. While Army Commander Joseph Aoun's election as president of the republic was predictable, the party had not expected Nawaf Salam to be tasked with forming a government. The approach with which he named his cabinet was a sharp break with the framework that Hezbollah had grown accustomed to in recent years, particularly since 2008. This was the party's first domestic blow, and it also reflected the new balance of political and moral power in the country. Hezbollah's difficulties were compounded by the dramatic collapse of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024 (just two weeks after the ceasefire was announced) and the subsequent historic rapprochement between the new Lebanon and the new Syria. The two countries have begun coordinating to cut off one of Iran's most critical supply lines. The border control agreement between Beirut and Damascus, signed in Jeddah in March, was followed by the Lebanese Prime Minister's visit to Damascus. There, he met with Syria's transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa to discuss implementation mechanisms, tightening the noose around the strategic logistical networks that Hezbollah had relied on for decades. In tandem, the party's positions south of the Litani River are being handed over to the Lebanese Army. On the regional level, Hezbollah now finds itself in a tough spot, particularly after Israel announced its intention to consolidate its occupation of Lebanese territory as part of a plan to turn it into a buffer zone. Meanwhile, even as the truce in Gaza has collapsed and Israel has unveiled a strategy to annex parts of the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah did not dare to revive the rhetoric of support that had dragged it into this war that permanently damaged it in the first place. The ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington on Iran's nuclear program further complicate Hezbollah's calculus, especially as they are paralleled by a Washington-led global campaign to disarm the party. Accordingly, it should be no surprise that, wounded and wary, the party is doubling down to reaffirm its independence and resist being turned into a bargaining chip in the talks. Either it is doing so in coordination with Tehran, which may be trying to send mixed signals, or Hezbollah's confidence in its regional patron has waned after it had been left to fight the war alone and received no real support as it was being pummeled. In this context, Hezbollah's unambiguous refusal to discuss 'disarmament,' insisting that the issue is not up for negotiation and that there is no compromise to be found, could be useful. Despite the threats it brings, this rhetoric strips away the mask of ambiguity that has long allowed Lebanese state institutions and many political forces to remain in the murky gray zone they exploited to normalize the status quo. This announcement has liberated the national debate, putting an end to the spiral of excuses that had long been used to justify Hezbollah's behavior and belittle this complex dilemma. It was said that Hezbollah's arms were needed as long as Israeli occupation had not ended and that they provided a deterrent that protected Lebanon from attacks. Others argued that the state was weak and that these weapons would only be handed over once its institutions matured... Even sectarian and political justifications were not offered: Hezbollah represents a Lebanese community and thus cannot be isolated or confronted militarily. Its arsenal was thereby rendered 'our fate as a nation' - one that we must simply live with. What has changed today is that Hezbollah has made dithering untenable: 'Disarmament is not up for discussion.' With that statement, all previous justifications became obsolete. Indeed, it was preceded by the implosion of the deterrence narrative after it became evident that Israel, despite Hezbollah's weapons, could kill and occupy without paying a price. It is now clear that this arsenal is nothing more than a shield in the hands of a militia. Hezbollah uses its arms to perpetuate its political and security existence without even pretending to have a national agenda or clearly defined goals. Accordingly, this clarity about the nature of the confrontation should compel the Lebanese state to assume its responsibilities. The era of conniving evasion, rhetorical ambiguity, and calling things by anything other than their real names, is over. The only way to prevent the resumption of war, the expansion of which is already being prepared, is to agree on a clear roadmap for the disarmament of Hezbollah without euphemisms and to officially declare that Lebanon is fully on board the region's political settlements.
Ya Libnan
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Israeli airstrike on Beirut kills Hezbollah/Quds Force official
An Israeli strike killed Hassan Bdeir, a key Hezbollah commander who coordinated with Hamas and was part of Iran's Quds Force. i24NEWS An Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed a member of Hezbollah and Iran's Quds Force on Tuesday, security officials said, raising fears that the cease-fire in Lebanon may fall through. Hassan Bdeir, a Hezbollah and Quds Force official who allegedly helped Hamas plan an attack on Israel, was one of four people killed in the latest airstrike in Beirut's southern suburbs, a local security official told Reuters. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar defended the strike in the Lebanese capital, describing Bdeir as a 'real and immediate threat' while demanding Beirut keep a leash on the terror group. 'We expect Lebanon to take action to uproot terrorist organizations acting within its borders against Israel,' Saar said. It's unclear which attack Bdeir allegedly helped plan. Hezbollah and Israel agreed to a temporary cease-fire last November after the Israeli military decimated the terror group's forces and top leadership, including slain founder Hassan Nasrallah. While the US-brokered cease-fire called for the war campaign to end and for Israel to withdraw behind a buffer zone, the IDF remains active in Lebanon , alleging that Hezbollah has not kept up with its end of the bargain of retreating far north into the country. Tuesday's strike in Beirut was the second one launched within a week. REUTERS Israel launched another airstrike on Friday after officials said a rocket from Lebanon was fired toward the Jewish state. Hezbollah lawmaker Ibrahim Moussawi claimed Israel's latest attack was tantamount to 'a major and severe aggression that has escalated the situation to an entirely different level.' Tuesday's strike appeared to have damaged the upper three floors of a building, according to a Reuters reporter at the scene. Unlike Friday's strike in the capital, Israel did not provide any warning prior to the strike. Hezbollah lawmaker Ibrahim Moussawi claimed Israel's latest attack was tantamount to 'a major and severe aggression that has escalated the situation to an entirely different level.' Tuesday's strike appeared to have damaged the upper three floors of a building, according to a Reuters reporter at the scene. Unlike Friday's strike in the capital, Israel did not provide any warning prior to the strike. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also condemned the attack and undermined the cease-fire in the region at a time of heightened tension with Hamas in Gaza and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The US Department of Defense stood by Israel, saying the airstrikes come as the Jewish state defends itself from 'terrorists' based in Lebanon. 'Hostilities have resumed because terrorists launched rockets into Israel from Lebanon,' a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. MSN / YAHOO
Observer
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Observer
Israel kills Hezbollah official in deadly Beirut airstrike
BEIRUT: An Israeli airstrike killed four people including a Hezbollah official in Beirut's southern suburbs on Tuesday, a Lebanese security source said, further testing a shaky ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The Israeli military said the official — Hassan Bdeir — was a member of a Hezbollah unit. Hezbollah confirmed that Bdeir had been killed along with his son, who was also a member of the group. The Lebanese security source said Bdeir was a mid-ranking commander whose responsibilities included the Palestinian file. The Lebanese health ministry said the strike killed four people — including a woman — and wounded seven others. It marked Israel's second air strike in the Hezbollah-controlled suburb of Beirut in five days, adding to strains on the US-brokered ceasefire that ended last year's devastating conflict. The attacks on Beirut's southern suburbs have resumed at a time of broader escalation in the region, with Israel having restarted Gaza strikes after a two-month truce and the United States hitting Ansar Allah of Yemen in a bid to get them to stop attacking Red Sea shipping. Hezbollah lawmaker Ibrahim Moussawi said the Israeli attack amounted to "a major and severe aggression that has escalated the situation to an entirely different level". Speaking in a televised statement after visiting the building that was struck, he called on the Lebanese state to "activate the highest level of diplomacy to find solutions". Hezbollah has denied any role in recent rocket attacks from Lebanon towards Israel, including one that prompted Israel to carry out an air strike on the southern suburbs last Friday. Tuesday's strike in the early hours appeared to have damaged the upper three floors of a building, a Reuters reporter at the scene said, with the balconies of those floors blown out. The glass on the floors below was intact, indicating a targeted strike. Ambulances were at the scene as families fled to other parts of Beirut. Meanwhile, the health ministry in Gaza said on Tuesday that 1,042 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since Israel resumed large-scale strikes on March 18. According to the ministry's statement, the figure includes 41 people killed in the past 24 hours. It also reported that the overall death toll had reached 50,399 since the war began on October 7, 2023. — Agencies
LBCI
01-04-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Details emerge: Israel strikes building in Beirut's southern suburbs, marking second attack in days
Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi In the early hours of the morning, an Israeli airstrike hit a residential building in Hay Madi of Beirut's southern suburbs, marking the second such attack in just a few days and the first on this area since the ceasefire agreement. At approximately 3:30 a.m., two Israeli missiles struck the seventh and eighth floors of the building, causing extensive damage to the sixth floor and scattering debris across the street. The neighborhood, still recovering from the destruction of the previous war, once again bore the brunt of the attack. The strike killed four people: Hassan Bdeir, his son Ali Bdeir, Ahmad Mahmoud, and Hiam Mahmoud. Seven others were wounded and transported to nearby hospitals for treatment. According to the Israeli military, the target of the attack, Hassan Bdeir, was allegedly involved in planning an attack against Israeli settlers in coordination with Hamas. The Israeli statement claimed that Bdeir was a member of Hezbollah's Unit 3900 and the Quds Force. Since November 27, Israeli violations, attacks, and assassinations have persisted, intensifying in recent days. Israel has justified these strikes as responses to rocket fire, which Hezbollah has denied launching. In response, Hezbollah viewed the repeated Israeli attacks as an indication that Israel no longer considers the ceasefire agreement in effect. However, the group reaffirmed its commitment to the truce and support for the Lebanese government's diplomatic efforts. Yet, Hezbollah warned that if these efforts fail to secure the safety of Lebanese citizens, it will reassess its course of action.
