Hezbollah's deputy leader vows to keep fighting afterward

A firefighter inspects a damaged car near a building hit in an Israeli airstrike early Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Beirut, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah's deputy leader vowed to continue the fight against Israel, saying the militant group was prepared for a long war after wiping out much of its high command, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah.

In his first speech since Nasrallah's killing, Naim Kassem said in a televised statement on Monday that Hezbollah fighters are ready to fight and defend Lebanon if Israel decides to launch a ground offensive, where the group is based .

As deputy secretary general, Naim Kassem is now Hezbollah's acting leader until the group's leadership chooses a replacement for Nasrallah.

Israeli strikes in the past 10 days have killed Nasrallah and six of his top commanders and hit thousands of militant targets across much of Lebanon, according to the military. According to the Health Ministry, over 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, almost a quarter of them women and children, and the government believes the fighting may have displaced up to a million people.

Hezbollah has significantly increased its rocket attacks in the past week to several hundred per day, but most were intercepted or fell in open areas. Several people were injured in Israel. There have been no fatalities since two soldiers died near the border on September 19.

Kassem said that despite the assassination of senior Hezbollah military commanders in recent months, Hezbollah now needs new commanders.

“Israel has not been able to affect our (military) capabilities,” Kassem said. “There are deputy commanders and there are backups in case a commander is wounded at any post.”

Before he spoke, an airstrike early Monday destroyed a residential building and killed three Palestinian militants in central Beirut, apparently sending Israel a clear message that no part of Lebanon is outside its borders.

Just two weeks ago, such an attack outside the main areas where Hezbollah operates and near a busy transportation hub would have been considered an escalation and would likely have been followed by a widespread Hezbollah attack on Israel. But the unspoken rules of the long-running conflict and Hezbollah's ability to respond to them are no longer clear.

Israel has not claimed Monday's attack but is widely believed to have carried it out.

Hezbollah may be holding back to prevent even greater escalation, including a threatened Israeli ground invasion. But the militant group could also be in turmoil after Israeli intelligence appeared to have penetrated the highest levels.

The attack early Monday killed three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a small left-wing faction that has not been significantly involved in the months-long fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Over the past week, Israel has frequently attacked Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a strong presence – including Friday's massive attack that killed Nasrallah – but has not attacked locations near the city center.

Hezbollah began firing rockets, drones and rockets into northern Israel after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel from Gaza sparked the war there. Hezbollah and Hamas are allies and are both supported by Iran. Hezbollah said it would continue attacks in solidarity with Palestinians until there was a ceasefire in Gaza.

Israel responded to the rockets with airstrikes in Lebanon, where Hezbollah is based, and fighting has escalated steadily over the past year, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border. Israel has vowed to keep fighting until the attacks stop and its citizens can return to their homes.

The United States and its allies have called for a ceasefire in hopes of avoiding further escalation that could attract Iran and trigger a wider war. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed little interest because his country has military successes against a long-time enemy.

Some Israelis spontaneously began celebrating after Nasrallah's death was announced. Videos circulated of crowds in bars singing a song in Hebrew and making fun of him. A news anchor from a pro-Netanyahu station sang and danced as the studio audience joined in, while a commentator from Israel's largest television network gave celebratory shots to co-panelists.

Hezbollah, which has tens of thousands of battle-hardened fighters and long-range missiles capable of hitting anywhere in Israel, has long been considered the most powerful militant group in the region and a key partner of Iran in threatening and deterring Israel. Hezbollah fought against Israel for a month in its 2006 war.

But Hezbollah has never experienced an attack like this, which began with a sophisticated attack on its pagers and walkie-talkies in mid-September that killed dozens of people and wounded about 3,000 – including many fighters but also many civilians.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon had “wiped out” Hezbollah's command structure but warned that the group would work quickly to rebuild it.

“We are watching what they do to fill this leadership vacuum. It's going to be tough,” he said on CNN's “State of the Union” on Sunday.

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Melzer reported from Tel Aviv, Israel.

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A fire ladder leads up a building hit in an apparent Israeli airstrike early Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in central Beirut, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Police officers and civil defense workers inspect a damaged car near a building hit in an Israeli airstrike early Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Beirut, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Police officers and civil defense workers stand next to damaged cars near a building hit in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, early Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A photographer documents damage at a building hit by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A fire ladder leads up a building hit in an apparent Israeli airstrike early Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in central Beirut, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People inspect a damaged car near a building hit in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, early Monday, September 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A fire ladder leads up a building hit in an apparent Israeli airstrike early Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in central Beirut, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows the site of an Israeli airstrike that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday, September 29, 2024 in Beirut, Lebanon. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Two women take a selfie next to newly painted graffiti of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, a day after Hezbollah confirmed its leader was killed in an Israeli airstrike, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP Photo/ Oded Balilty)