A cloud of smoke rises into the sky over the southern suburbs of Beirut, after Israeli strikes, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'OLJ)
Hezbollah's new leader, Naim Qassem, reaffirmed his resolve on Wednesday to continue the fight against Israel and target its territory, despite the severe losses inflicted on his party by the Israeli army after more than a month of open war.
In his second address since officially succeeding Hassan Nasrallah as Secretary-General, Qassem declared that tens of thousands of fighters are ready to face the Israeli army, and warned that no part of Israel would be safe from his group's missiles and drones.
"We have tens of thousands of trained resistance fighters ready to confront and hold their ground against Israel," Qassem declared, in a speech marking the 40th day since Nasrallah's assassination.
Since Sept. 23, the Israeli army has been conducting an intensive airstrike campaign against Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah positions and residential areas alike, and launched a ground offensive on Sept. 30. Hezbollah claims its fighters are repelling Israeli incursions along the border and reports daily launches of rockets, missiles and drones into Israeli territory.
"Israel will cry out in pain from our missiles and drones; no part of the Israeli entity is safe from our strikes," said Qassem.
A few hours earlier, Hezbollah claimed to have targeted — among other operations — a military base near Ben Gurion Airport, south of Tel Aviv. According to the Israeli Airport Authority, there was no disruption to traffic, nor any damage to the runways. The Israeli military reported that around 120 projectiles fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon crossed into Israeli territory on Wednesday, but did not disclose how many hit the country or were intercepted.
‘War of attrition’
Qassem said Hezbollah fighters are "ready" in case Israel "opts for a war of attrition."
"Whatever happens, we will stand firm (...) we will confront you," he added.
He also stated that he was not counting on the outcome of the U.S. elections, who are mediating for a cease-fire, to bring an end to the fighting.
"We are not relying on the U.S. elections. Whether Harris or Trump wins, holds no significance for us," Qassem said in an address recorded before the announcement of Trump's victory. He added that the basis for any indirect negotiations with Israel, through the Lebanese state and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, is to "fully protect Lebanon's sovereignty, without concessions," stressing that "the language of resistance knows only dignity and victory."
According to him, "The Israeli forces have advantages, including their destructive power, air superiority and brutal tactics, but the strength of the resistance lies in its persistence."
"We anticipated this war, which is why we prepared for it and are now in the defense phase," Qassem added.
Additionally, Qassem called on the Lebanese Army to investigate the circumstances of the Israeli "violation" in the coastal city of Batroun, where Israel announced on Saturday that a naval commando had captured a Hezbollah "agent."
"For the Israelis to enter in this manner is a grave insult to Lebanon and a violation of its sovereignty. Ask UNIFIL, especially the Germans, what they saw that night and what actions they took," Qassem said.
Since 2021, Germany has commanded the UNIFIL naval force, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. This force is tasked with assisting the Lebanese navy in monitoring its territorial waters. A preliminary investigation into the abduction indicates that the Israeli army used a boat capable of disrupting UNIFIL's radar systems, a judicial source told AFP.
New strikes on the southern suburbs, Bekaa under fire.
Shortly after Qassem's speech was broadcast, one which many think was pre-recorded, the Israeli army launched several airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, following an evacuation order. This was the same area where they had killed his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah, on Sept. 27.
Nine airstrikes targeting six neighborhoods, echoed through the capital, with thick black smoke billowing from the struck areas. The Israeli army's Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, later reported on X that a series of strikes hit "Hezbollah targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut," including "command centers," "weapons depots," and other "military facilities."
The map released shows the six locations mentioned earlier in the warnings issued by the spokesperson. Based on circulating reports and the sounds of explosions, the Israeli army is said to have carried out around eight powerful strikes. This count has yet to be independently confirmed.
Intense airstrikes also hit Baalbeck and its surroundings in the Bekaa Valley, without any prior evacuation orders from the Israeli army, according to an AFP correspondent. According to our sources and statements from the Baalbeck-Hermel governor, Bachir Khodr, the strikes targeted major locations in the city.
On his X account, Khodr stated that a "missile landed in the parking lot" of the Roman temple in Baalbeck. "However, it has not yet been possible to inspect the inside of the temple to assess if there is any damage," he added. "We still don't know if there is any damage," a source from the Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA) confirmed. Khodr also reported "significant damage in the historic Manshiya neighborhood."
According to our correspondent Sarah Abdallah, an Israeli raid also targeted an old building located between the Shiite shrine of Sayeda Khaoula and the Palmyra Hotel, in the center of Baalbeck. The hotel is located directly across from the archaeological and historical site, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Throughout the day, airstrikes targeted several towns, including Maqne and Younin to the north of Baalbeck, as well as the village of al-Ain, where eight members of the same family were killed, according to our correspondent. The Israeli air force also bombed the Chicane neighborhood of Baalbeck, the town of Taraya and the Baalbeck souk in al-Nasr square.
In total, around 40 airstrikes on the Beqaa region killed 55 people in a single day, according to a toll based on official reports from various medical centers. Israeli airstrikes also targeted the city of Nabatieh in the South, following evacuation orders, according to the state-run National News Agency.
The latest toll from the war between Hezbollah and Israel, provided by the Ministry of Health, reports 3,050 killed and 13,658 injured in Lebanon.
