Hezbollah says it will cause Israel pain but also calls for ceasefire

Hezbollah’s deputy chief Naim Qassem said on Tuesday that the Iran-backed group would inflict “pain” on Israel but also called for a ceasefire, as a conflict between them escalates in southern Lebanon.

Israel has ramped up military pressure on Hezbollah following incursions into the region and targeted killings of its leaders, including the death of veteran secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah last month, which marked the most significant blow to the group in decades.

“The solution is a ceasefire. We are not speaking from a position of weakness; if the Israelis do not want that, we will continue,” Qassem said in a recorded speech. He added that under an indirect agreement following a ceasefire, settlers would return to northern Israel, and further steps would be outlined.

Israel has yet to comment on the remarks. The Israeli government has stated its military actions in Lebanon are aimed at securing the return of tens of thousands of residents who fled their homes in northern Israel due to Hezbollah attacks.

Qassem asserted that Hezbollah reserved the right to strike anywhere in Israel in response to Israeli actions in Lebanon. “More Israelis will be displaced, and hundreds of thousands, even more than two million, will be in danger at any time, at any hour, on any day,” he warned. He emphasized that Hezbollah would focus its efforts on targeting Israeli military installations.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue operations against Hezbollah "without mercy, everywhere in Lebanon – including Beirut."

The United Nations refugee agency reported that Israel has issued evacuation orders affecting over a quarter of Lebanon, two weeks after Israeli forces began their incursions into the south. Rema Jamous Imseis, the agency's Middle East director, said the new Israeli orders to evacuate 20 southern villages have intensified the displacement crisis.

"People are fleeing with almost nothing," Imseis said during a briefing in Geneva. Over the past year, Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 2,309 people in Lebanon, and over 1.2 million have been displaced, according to Lebanese government sources. Most of the casualties occurred after Israel expanded its military campaign in late September.

Israel has reported 50 deaths, including both soldiers and civilians, since the conflict resumed a year ago, sparked by Hezbollah rocket attacks in support of Hamas at the outset of the Gaza war.

On Monday, Israeli airstrikes hit northern Lebanon, killing at least 22 people, including 12 women and two children, in a house where displaced civilians had sought refuge, according to health officials. The UN human rights office called for an investigation into the incident, which has raised concerns regarding compliance with international laws of war.

Israel has not commented on the strike but maintains that it takes all possible precautions to avoid civilian casualties.

Israel's military operations have concentrated on areas in the Bekaa Valley, the suburbs of Beirut, and southern Lebanon, where UN peacekeepers reported repeated strikes on their bases, resulting in injuries to peacekeepers.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced that components of an advanced anti-missile system have begun arriving in Israel and will soon be operational to bolster the country's defenses.

The Israel-Hezbollah conflict, which reignited a year ago, continues to escalate, with no clear resolution in sight.