Hezbollah General commanders threatened to retaliate against Israel because it cut off all the communication gears to Hezbollah through several attacks. The latest blasts, which erupted in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 37 people and injuring more than 2,900, prompted IRGC commander Hossein Salami to warn Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The devices, pagers and walkie-talkies used exploded nearly at the same time within Lebanon in an attack not seen in the last two days. 

 The ‘axis of resistance’, which means Iran-backed armed groups in Middle East regions such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis and Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces, have been put on alert. Lebanon and Hezbollah have blamed the attack on Israel, but Israel has made no official statement. The security sources claim that the bombings are the works of Israel’s intelligence agency, the Mossad. 

 Salami denounced the attacks, focusing on the internal crises and defeat in Lebanon, describing the strikes as the would-be-Israel’s desperation and its failures. The leader also said the Zionist regime would soon be defeated by the Axis of resistance and consumed by a destructive wrath that would end the bloodthirsty and criminal regime. 

 Rising Fears of a Broader Conflict 

 Iran’s hostility with Israel is very apparent as both countries continue to exchange threats to one another. But this has happened to raise concerns of a regional war all over again. April saw Iran launch drones and missiles at Israel for the first time in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike on its embassy in Syria. The hostilities started increasing again in July when Israel assassinated Hezbollah commander in Beirut and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, though no large-scale retaliation has happened yet. 

Speaking in a clip aired on the group’s television channel after this week’s attacks, Nasrallah said the bombings aimed at Hezbollah fighters were a ‘call to arms. ’ Though the Hezbollah leader admitted that the group’s facilities had been dealt a blow, he vowed reciprocation but did not say when. Saying that ‘Israel’ will receive just punishment, Nasrallah’s defiance message was one of the most sharp responses to the opposing side. Just a few minutes after his speech, Israeli aircraft flew at supersonic speeds over the Beirut skyline as if to indicate that a truce was out of the question. (more)

Israel’s Response and Further Attacks 

 Yoav Gallant of Israel’s Defense Ministry played down that speech by Nasrallah by saying that Hezbollah will pay a higher price as Israel steps up operations in the region. He also focused on the evacuation of residents to the northern part of Israel that has been affected by the tit-for-tat attack between Hezbollah and Israel following the military operations on Gaza since October 7. 

 Thursday saw Israeli forces attack Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon; it attacked its weapons depots and other installations. These strikes were made after the Israel defence force said that two of its troops died near the country’s border with Lebanon. A step further, Yemen’s Houthis targeted central Israel with a hypersonic missile. It elicited air raid sirens and fires near the Ben Gurion Airport. 

 This trend increases the probability of an entanglement of many actors in the region with each passing day.