Hezbollah announces “new phase” of its war with Israel

BEIRUT, Lebanon.— This Friday, Hezbollah announced that it is entering a new phase in his fight against invading Israeli troopsas the region continued to evaluate the Israeli announcement that the top leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwardied in combat against his forces in Gaza the day before.

In its statement, the Lebanese political-paramilitary group noted that its fighters have used new types of precision-guided missiles and explosive drones for the first time.

The note appears to refer to an explosives-laden drone that evaded Israel’s multi-layered air defense system and crashed into a hall at a military training camp deep inside Israel, killing four soldiers and injuring dozens more. .

Earlier in the week, the Lebanese militia had announced the launch of a new type of missile, the Qader 2, towards the suburbs of Tel Aviv. According to the statement, the group’s air defense units shot down two Israeli Hermes 450 drones this week.

Hezbollah said its fighters are working according to “pre-prepared plans” to combat Israeli troops in several areas of southern Lebanon.

Death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar

Hamas, for its part, has not yet responded to the Israeli announcement. But its ally Iran issued a statement praising the Palestinian insurgent leader through its mission to the United Nations. Sinwar was the main architect of the attack on southern Israel that precipitated the latest escalation of conflicts in the Middle East.

Many, from the governments of Israel’s allies to the exhausted residents of Gaza, expressed hope that Sinwar’s death could pave the way to an end to the war, but in his speech announcing the death, the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that “Our war is not over yet.”

Hamas attack on Israel

On October 7, 2023, Hamas-led insurgents punched holes in the border security fence to storm into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 250 more hostage. Israel responded with an air and ground campaign over the besieged Palestinian enclave that has claimed the lives of more than 42,000 people, according to local health authorities, whose count does not distinguish between civilian victims and combatants. The war has devastated large parts of the Strip and displaced around 90% of its 2.3 million inhabitants.

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