Hezbollah insists it has ‘legitimate right’ to resist Israel
Lebanon’s Hezbollah says it has “a legitimate right to resist [Israeli] occupation”.
While Lebanon is bound by a ceasefire, it is not obligated to be drawn into political negotiations with Israel, the group said in a statement. “We affirm our legitimate right to resist occupation and aggression and to stand by our army and our people to protect the sovereignty of our country,” it said.
Last week, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun instructed the army to confront any Israeli incursion into southern Lebanon after Israeli forces crossed the border and killed a municipal employee despite a US-brokered ceasefire.
Lebanon’s government is pushing to disarm the group, a move rejected by Hezbollah. Israel, which still has soldiers stationed in five areas in southern Lebanon, has threatened to intensify attacks on Hezbollah if the Lebanese government does not succeed in disarming it.
“The issue of the exclusivity of arms is not to be discussed in response to foreign demands or Israeli blackmail, it must be addressed nationally through consensus on a comprehensive strategy for security, defence and the protection of national sovereignty,” Hezbollah said.
It also said it’s exercising its right to defend itself against “an enemy that imposes war on our country, does not stop its attacks, and seeks to subjugate our state”.
Israel’s military claims new attack on Hezbollah members in Lebanon’s Tyre area
Israel’s military says it has carried out an air raid in southern Lebanon’s Tyre area, targeting members of Hezbollah’s construction unit, which it accuses of trying to rebuild military infrastructure.
Israeli forces will “continue to operate in order to remove any threat to the territory of the state of Israel”, said the army in a statement.
The announcement comes shortly after Lebanon’s National News Agency reported an Israeli air raid near the southern towns of Toura and Aabbasiyyeh, both in the Tyre district. It did not list any casualties from the attack.
Israel issues urgent attack warning for southern Lebanon
Israel’s military has threatened a major attack on southern Lebanon and told residents to stay away from Hezbollah “terrorist infrastructure”.
“Urgent warning to residents of southern Lebanon. In the near future, the [army] will attack Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure throughout southern Lebanon to counter Hezbollah’s prohibited attempts to rebuild its activities in the area,” military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a statement.
Israel continues its near-daily attacks on Lebanon despite signing a November 2024 ceasefire with Hezbollah. Earlier, the armed group said it has a legitimate right to respond to Israel’s bombardment and occupation of Lebanese territory.
