Hezbollah warns of ‘large losses’ if Israel expands conflict in Lebanon

Warning comes as Israeli politicians urge action against Hezbollah amid continuing tit-for-tat attacks across the Israel-Lebanon border.

Hezbollah’s deputy leader has warned Israel that a full-scale war on Lebanon would cause “large losses on both sides” and displace hundreds of thousands of more Israelis in the country’s north.

Naim Qassem’s comments on Saturday came as Israel’s Channel 13 reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “on the verge” of launching a “broad and strong operation” on the country’s northern border with Lebanon.

Hezbollah and the Israeli military have been trading near-daily fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since Israel launched its deadly war on Gaza in October.

The Lebanese armed group said its attacks on Israel are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and would end as soon as the war there ends.

The Hezbollah-Israel conflict has killed dozens of people in Israel, hundreds in Lebanon and displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border.

Qassem, speaking in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, said Hezbollah has no intention of going to war, “as we consider that this would not be useful”, according to the AFP news agency.

“However, if Israel does unleash a war, we will face up to it – and there will be large losses on both sides,” he said.

“If they think such a war would allow the 100,000 displaced people to return home … we issue this warning – prepare to deal with hundreds of thousands more displaced.”

He added that “Hezbollah’s support for Gaza will continue from Lebanon as long as the war persists, with increased support in response to Israeli aggression”, according to Lebanon’s al-Manar TV.

Israel’s Channel 13, meanwhile, cited a senior Israeli official as saying that Netanyahu plans to launch a major attack on Hezbollah “in the near future”, but has not yet set a date for the escalation.

There was no official comment from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant also said last week that Israeli forces were close to completing their mission in Gaza and that their focus will then turn to the country’s northern border with Lebanon.

Gallant told troops on Israel’s northern border that “the centre of gravity is moving northward” and “we are near to completing our tasks in the south”.

He told journalists on the same day that he has instructed the Israeli military “to prepare for every scenario, including directing our attention to the northern arena” and that the army was “committed to changing the security situation on the northern front and to bringing our citizens home safely”.

Opposition politicians in Israel have also called for action against Hezbollah.

Benny Gantz, Netanyahu’s main political rival, criticised the government on Saturday for neglecting residents in Israel’s north. “It is time to exercise power and authority against Hezbollah and return the residents to their homes safely,” he wrote in a post on X.

Israel’s attacks on Lebanon have killed 623 people, including 142 civilians, according to an AFP tally, while Hezbollah’s assaults have killed 24 Israeli soldiers and 26 civilians.

On Saturday evening, the Israeli military said its air force had carried out attacks on suspected Hezbollah weapons storage facilities at two locations in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, as well as in six locations in the south.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health said that at least four people were wounded in Israel’s attacks on Bekaa, some 140km (85 miles) from the Israeli border. Three of the victims in the Hermel district were children, it said.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, claimed at least 12 attacks on Israeli military targets on Saturday, including artillery positions at the Zaura site and armament and emergency warehouses in Yiftah Elifleet, northwest of Lake Tiberias.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies