Hezbollah Threatens to Destroy Israeli Tanks, Target Cities Never Hit by Rockets if Attacks Continue on Civilians

JAKARTA - The leader of the militant group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah threatened to finish off Israeli military tanks, targeting new cities that have never been targeted by rocket attacks, if the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continues to attack civilians.

Lebanese official media reported yesterday that five people were killed in Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon, including three Syrian children. In response, Hezbollah fired 100 rockets targeting several areas in northern Israel in four separate waves.

"Continuing to target civilians will encourage the resistance to launch missiles at settlements that were not previously targeted," Nasrallah said, as reported by Reuters on July 17.

In a speech to commemorate Ashura, Nasrallah further warned Israel to refrain from a ground attack on its neighbor to the north.

"If your tanks come to southern Lebanon, you will not be short of tanks, because you will not have any tanks left," he said, according to Al Manar, quoted from The Times of Israel.

Meanwhile, Israel said it was attacking Hezbollah militants and infrastructure in Lebanon, not civilians.

Hassan Nasrallah also vowed to continue attacks on Israel as long as the war in Gaza continues, denying rumors that a diplomatic settlement had been reached to end the conflict on the Lebanese border.

"Everything circulating about a final agreement regarding the situation on the Lebanese front is not true," Nasrallah said.

The Hezbollah leader further vowed to rebuild border towns and make them “more beautiful than before,” praising residents for providing a “solid environment” for “resistance” fighters.

Israel and Hezbollah have been at each other’s throats since Hezbollah announced a “support front” against the Palestinians shortly after its Hamas ally attacked Israeli southern border communities on Oct. 7, triggering a subsequent Israeli military offensive in Gaza.

Tensions on the Israeli-Lebanese border have killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, causing levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.