Hezbollah deputy leader vows to fight any Israeli ground offensive

In his first public address since the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah by Israeli airstrikes last week, Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem said the group was ready to counter any possible Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon.

“We will face every possibility and are ready if the Israelis decide to invade by land. The resistance forces are prepared for a ground battle,” said Qassem. His comments come as the Israeli military continues its relentless air campaign, which has already resulted in the deaths of several senior Hezbollah commanders.

The Israeli attacks, now entering their third week, have led to speculation that ground troops could soon cross the border, a move that Qassem stresses will not achieve Israel's goals.

In other developments, the Palestinian group Hamas reported that an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese city of Tire killed its leader in Lebanon, Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin, along with his family. Meanwhile, another Palestinian faction, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), said three of its leaders were killed in an Israeli attack in central Beirut – the first attack by Israeli forces within the capital's borders.

Israel's increased attacks on Hezbollah and other groups in Lebanon, Gaza and beyond have raised fears that the conflict could involve regional powers such as Iran and possibly even the United States, Israel's key ally. Iran has vowed that Israel's “criminal acts” will not go unanswered.

The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that over 1,000 Lebanese were killed and 6,000 injured in the last two weeks of fighting. According to government figures, one million people, or a fifth of the population, have fled their homes.