Department of Strategic Security and Military Research and Studies 26-09-2024

Despite the loss of senior leaders, the supreme leader declares that the Shia group will not be defeated.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei affirmed that Lebanon’s Hezbollah remains resilient, even after losing key figures in Israeli attacks.

In an address to military officials on Wednesday, as Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah continued for a third consecutive day, Iran’s supreme leader acknowledged the losses but emphasized the group’s survival. “The martyrdom of some of Hezbollah’s prominent and essential forces has certainly weakened them, but this will not be enough to break them,” Khamenei said.

“The group’s organizational structure and manpower are robust and will not be severely compromised by the loss of a top commander, even though such losses are significant,” he continued.

Khamenei concluded by asserting that the “resistance forces in Palestine and Lebanon will ultimately prevail.”

Escalation Without Resolution

Since the Gaza conflict began in October, Hezbollah and Israel’s military have been involved in near-daily exchanges across the Lebanon-Israel border.

Tensions sharply escalated last week following coordinated attacks that triggered explosions in Hezbollah’s electronic systems across Lebanon and Syria.

These remotely executed sabotage operations, largely attributed to Israel, resulted in the deaths of at least 39 individuals and injured nearly 3,000. Analysts have described this as a new and dangerous development in the realm of cyber-warfare.

For the third day in a row, Israeli airstrikes hit Lebanon on Wednesday. The recent wave of attacks, which killed at least 558 people earlier this week, is the deadliest violence Lebanon has witnessed since its civil war from 1975 to 1990, forcing tens of thousands to flee the southern region.

Among the casualties were several high-ranking Hezbollah members, including commanders Ibrahim Aqil and Ibrahim Muhammad Qubaisi.

In response, Hezbollah claimed it launched a ballistic missile targeting Israel’s Mossad headquarters near Tel Aviv on Wednesday, an attack the Israeli military described as unprecedented.

Reporting from Marjayoun in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan indicated that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah appears to be escalating.

“There is no sign of de-escalation or diplomacy. Both Hezbollah and the Israeli military continue to exchange fire,” he said.

“The Israeli forces maintain their strikes on Hezbollah positions, while Hezbollah has increased its rocket attacks, with more launched in the past 24 hours than before.”