Hezbollah says 'fighters' hands will remain on the trigger' in case of Israeli violations, MP 'thanks Iran'

BEIRUT — Hezbollah said Friday its fighters are keeping "their hands on the trigger” following the announcement of a cease-fire with Israel, expected to last 10 days, in a statement reviewing the attacks carried out during 46 days of war.

Party MP Hassan Fadlallah, speaking from Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday morning, “thanked Iran for making this cease-fire possible and for confronting the [Israeli] enemy.”

Labor Minister Mohammad Haidar, who is affiliated with the party, said “the situation in Lebanon is broadly linked to regional developments, whether we like it or not, and any positive development at the regional level will be directly reflected on the Lebanese domestic scene,” without directly mentioning ongoing talks between Iran and the United States, against the backdrop of a cease-fire between Tehran and Washington.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced the cease-fire on Thursday following separate phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joseph Aoun. It took effect at midnight.

2,184 operations against Israel

In its statement marking the cease-fire, Hezbollah said it carried out 2,184 military operations against Israel during the “Eaten Straw” operation, between March 2 and April 16.

The attacks targeted Israeli army forces “inside Lebanese territory and struck their positions, barracks and military bases” in Israel, “reaching beyond Tel Aviv, up to 160 kilometers deep.” The group notably claimed an attack on a military base in Ashdod.

Hezbollah said the strikes, including exploding drones and rockets of various calibers, were “a response to the enemy’s crimes against civilians and the destruction of residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.”

“The fighters’ fingers will remain on the trigger, vigilant against the enemy’s treachery and deceit,” the statement added, as the Israeli army carried out a series of demolitions and some artillery fire in southern Lebanon overnight from Thursday to Friday.

Fadlallah also addressed the roughly 1 million people displaced by the war, promising they would “return home.”

“Despite the destruction, your return this morning and last night was a source of pride,” he said, according to our journalist on the ground. “We want a cease-fire, the withdrawal of the enemy from our land, the return of the displaced, and the release of prisoners.”

He also called on Lebanese officials “to go to the field, listen to the suffering of the people and see with their own eyes the crimes of the Israeli enemy.”

In an interview with Sputnik, Haidar said the mass return of residents to southern Lebanon following the announcement of the truce “demonstrates their resilience and their refusal to abandon their land.” He expressed hope that the 10-day truce would be “followed by a complete end to the war.”

“We are at the beginning of the truce, and these 10 days are a first step. We hope it will be followed by a total end to the war,” he said, adding that “the new phase requires national consensus to protect Lebanon and its territory.”

He said the government must “stand by citizens to ensure their return and put in place a reconstruction plan, especially for villages that were completely destroyed,” starting with debris removal.

For his part, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said, “every bullet fired into the air, as much as it may pose a danger to the lives of innocent people and threaten people’s property, is an insult to the dignity of the martyrs and is a violation not only of the law but of all divine laws.”

The Internal Security Forces (ISF), for their part, announced that “measures were taken immediately” following the gunfire to identify those responsible and arrest them. “The General Directorate of the ISF will show no tolerance toward anyone who undermines security and public order,” the statement issued by the police added.

From March 2 to April 17, Israeli attacks killed at least 2,200 people in Lebanon.