Lebanon-based Hezbollah has declared an open-ended battle with Israel after the militant group buried a top military commander.
The Iran-backed military group’s deputy leader, Naim Qassem, reportedly made the comment during a funeral for a top commander killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut after days of surprise attacks that wounded thousands of people in Lebanon and killed Hezbollah members.
Qassem told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he will not achieve his goals, according to international media reports.
The deputy leader said Hezbollah, which has lost several senior military leaders in recent months, was stronger.
Hezbollah vowed to retaliate against Israel over explosions that hit pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members, killing at least 37 people (including two children) and wounding about 3000.
The attacks were widely blamed on Israel, which denied any involvement in the attacks.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy called for an immediate ceasefire as cross-border tensions led to fears of an all-out war between Israel and Lebanon.
It comes after the UN’s special co-ordinator for Lebanon warned that the Middle East faced “imminent catastrophe”.
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said in a statement on social media: ‘With the region on the brink of an imminent catastrophe, it cannot be overstated enough: there is NO military solution that will make either side safer.’
Israeli president Isaac Herzog told foreign TV media that Israel was in a dangerous situation and rejected any connection to the pager attacks.
Netanyahu vowed, after a night of intense rocket fire from Lebanon, to do everything he can to restore security.
The European Union echoed Lammy’s fears about an escalation of the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Sunday.
Egypt’s foreign minister also warned of the risk of all-out regional war; Badr Abdelatty spoke ahead of a gathering of world leaders at the United Nations, with a chorus of international powers calling on Israel and Hezbollah to step back from the brink.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres warned that Lebanon could become ‘another Gaza’.
