Hezbollah: The battle with Israel is just beginning

Shafaq News/ On Friday, Hezbollah’s Head of Media Relations, Mohammad Afif, stated that the ongoing battle with Israel is still in its early stages, while also expressing the party’s openness to efforts aimed at halting the conflict.

During a press conference, Afif emphasized, "Hezbollah’s priority is defeating Israel, yet we remain open to efforts to stop the aggression."

He also noted that residents would soon return to southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, adding that the southern suburbs of Beirut will be rebuilt "better than before."

Afif underscored that "the battle with the enemy is just beginning, so do not rush to conclusions. Hezbollah’s strategic reserves are intact, and we will continue fighting."

He further explained that Hezbollah is fighting flexibly, adapting to the needs of the battle, and that its fighters refuse to retreat from areas deemed militarily lost.

Afif highlighted that Hezbollah’s missile strikes on northern Israel are a clear indication that the battle is in its early stages. He also condemned the attack on UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon.

Additionally, Afif accused Israel of targeting ambulances to prevent the evacuation of the wounded, while the intense Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs continued "under the pretext of targeting weapon depots."

Hezbollah's fighters continue to inflict heavy losses and casualties on Israeli troops attempting to infiltrate Lebanese towns from occupied Palestinian territories since "Israel" announced a "limited ground incursion" over a week ago.

Israeli media reported that 22 Israeli soldiers were injured in 24 hours, 20 of them on the Lebanese border and two in the Gaza Strip.

The Ziv Medical Center in occupied Safad confirmed that it had received seven injured soldiers from battles with Hezbollah at the northern border with Lebanon.

Israeli media mentioned that four injuries were reported following the shelling that targeted the Karmiel area in Central al-Jalil, while an Israeli helicopter was directly hit in the Mays al-Jabal area while attempting to evacuate injuries, forcing Israeli ambulances to flee the scene of the incident.

Early Thursday morning, the Israeli occupation military admitted to the killing of one of its soldiers and the injury of another in ongoing battles at the Lebanese border.

The military announced that the soldier was from the 228th Brigade and that another soldier from the 5030th Battalion was seriously wounded in the same incident and was transferred to the hospital.

This brings the Israeli military's acknowledged death toll to 12 soldiers since the start of its announced ground incursion in southern Lebanon. However, the Islamic Resistance's Operations Room confirmed that the occupation forces have suffered at least 35 fatalities and 200 injuries, including elite officers and soldiers.

(With Al-Mayadeen's input)