Not Yet Attacking Israel, Lebanese General: Hezbollah And Iran Will Attack Israeli Military Facilities Only

JAKARTA - Iran has not yet carried out a retaliatory attack on Israel but according to the Lebanese Hezbollah movement the method used will be different but will all target military facilities and will not harm civilians. The analysis was pronounced by the former head of the Lebanese-Israeli border commission, General Abdul Rahman Shehaitli, to Sputnik on Friday (9/8), reported ANTARA, Saturday, August 10.

Earlier on July 31, Israeli soldiers (IDFs) launched airstrikes against a residential building on the southern outskirts of Beirut, killing Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, along with at least four civilians. Meanwhile, Hamas' political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, was murdered at his residence in Tehran last Wednesday. The Palestinian movement accused Israel of killing Haniyeh and vowed to retaliate. NBC News reported, citing an unnamed Israeli official, that the Zionist nation was preparing for a possible prolonged attack by Hamas and Hezbollah who wanted to avenge the deaths of their leaders.

"Retaliatory attacks on Israel by Iran will definitely differ in nature from Hezbollah's response in Lebanon. Hezbollah's response is calculated based on the reality of armed confrontation with the Israeli military. Iran is a major country in the region, so the principle of attack is developed based on the interests of the state," said Shehaitli.

Hezbollah will launch a targeted attack that will injure Israel, and will not limit itself just by firing a rocket that will be intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome, which only shows action for global media, the Lebanese general added.

"No one can predict what the retaliatory attack will look like. However, there are some of the most likely scenarios. This could be a great attack on one of the headquarters of the central military that has a strategic role, or could also be a military air base, or the murder of a top-ranking military official," said Shehaitli.

Meanwhile, Tehran should consider negative consequences for Iran and the entire region if a full-scale war breaks out, the Lebanese general said. At the same time, Iran's leadership cannot allow their prestige to be undermined at home and abroad, and therefore, they cannot allow the killings committed on Iranian soil to be punished, he added.

Given this, Iran's response will most likely be carried out by the country's secret service.

Israel has so far not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh's death, but if Iran's secret service gets confirmation that its killings were ruled by Israel, then the response would be similar, Shehaitli said.