Hezbollah’s chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that nowhere in Israel would be safe if a full-fledged war breaks out between the two enemies. He also threatened EU member Cyprus for the first time and other parts of the Mediterranean.
Nasrallah says Hezbollah is ready for broader war
Hezbollah has been trading fire with Israel for more than eight months along with the Gaza war. The Iran-backed group published what it said was drone footage of sensitive military sites deep in Israeli territory.
Nasrallah said “there will be no place safe from our missiles and our drones” in Israel in the event of a broader war. The group also had “a bank of targets” that it could target in precision strikes.
Nasrallah was speaking in a televised address on Wednesday.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz had warned on Tuesday that a decision on an all-out war with Hezbollah was coming soon. Israel’s military said “operational plans for an toffensive in Lebanon were approved and validated.”
Nasrallah also targets Cyprus
Nasrallah also threatened Cyprus – the EU member state in closest proximity to Lebanon, with which it has cordial relations. He accused it of allowing Israel to use its airports and bases for military exercises.
“The Cypriot government must be warned that opening Cypriot airports and bases for the Israeli enemy to target Lebanon means that the Cypriot government has become part of the war and the resistance (Hezbollah) will deal with it as part of the war.”
Cyprus denies aiding Israel
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides denied any suggestion Cyprus was taking sides in any conflict. He said Cyprus is not part of the problem, it is part of the solution.
“That role is evident, for example, through the humanitarian (aid) corridor which has been acknowledged not only by the Arab world, but from the international community.”
Cyprus is not known to offer any land or base facilities to the Israeli military. It has in the past allowed Israel to use its vast airspace to occasionally conduct air drills. This has never happened during conflict.
Sovereign British military bases on Cyprus have been used by the UK for operations in Syria in the past and more recently, Yemen. The Cyprus government has no say in the matter. There are two British bases in Cyprus, which was a colony until 1960.
Hezbollah will fight with ‘no rules’
Nasrallah said his group would fight with “no rules” and “no ceilings” in the event of a broader war. He was speaking at a memorial event for a commander killed in an Israeli strike last week. This is the most senior Hezbollah figure to be killed so far in the current conflict with Israel.
Hezbollah unleashed its largest volleys of drones and rockets at Israel in retaliation. UN officials expressed concern at the escalation. US envoy Amos Hochstein travelled to Israel and Lebanon to urge both sides not to move into a full-scale conflict.
With inputs from Reuters
