Lebanese Prime Minister calls on Hezbollah to stop attacks on Israel
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam declared all Hezbollah actions “illegal” and ordered the group to disarm after overnight rocket fire aimed at Haifa. At least ten people were injured in an Iranian ballistic missile attack in Be’er Sheva.
Hezbollah on Tuesday escalated its involvement in the spreading conflict between Iran and the US and Israel, launching long-range missiles from Lebanon within 48 hours of coordinated attacks on Iran during Operation Epic Fury.
The militant group also stated that it was ready for an ‘open war’. The Associated Press reported.
The Iran-backed militant group fired rockets into northern Israel, prompting Israeli retaliation The times of Israel. Two were intercepted by air defenses, the military said.
Rockets launched from Lebanon towards Israel, seen from the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel. (Reuters/Gil Eliyahu)
“But Hezbollah also knows that if the Iranian regime falls, it could be demoted,” he said, before emphasizing that “Israel cannot completely disarm Hezbollah.”
Hezbollah was founded in the early 1980s with Iranian support during Lebanon’s civil war and has become Tehran’s most powerful proxy.
For decades, Iran has funded, armed and trained the group as part of its broader strategy to confront Israel and expand its regional influence.
“Iran believes it must restore deterrence before the end of this war with the US and Israel, so expanding it with the help of Hezbollah and attacking the Gulf Arab states and Cyprus is part of that,” Harrison warned.
Israel responded to Hezbollah’s escalation with additional airstrikes on Beirut and expanded its ground operations, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) taking up positions near the border.
The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon reported Israeli forces entering and leaving Lebanese territory, although the IDF insisted its forces would continue to operate there, according to The Associated Press.
IRAN Fires Missiles at US Bases in the Mideast After US Strikes on Nuclear and IRGC Sites
Hezbollah launches long-range missiles from Lebanon into northern Israel within 48 hours of attacking Iran, escalating the spreading conflict during Operation Epic Fury. (Hadi Mizban/AP)
The US Embassy in Beirut also announced on Tuesday that it would close until further notice in a message on X.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said: “To prevent the possibility of direct fire on Israeli communities, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have authorized the IDF to further advance and hold dominant territory in Lebanon and from there defend border communities.
“The IDF continues to operate vigorously against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. The terrorist organization is paying and will pay a high price for firing on Israel.”
“Last night they launched rockets at Haifa, at a city center in Israel. They started it, they knew the consequences.”
The IDF also announced that it had killed Daoud Ali Zadeh, commander of the Lebanon Corps of Iran’s Quds Force, in Tehran.
TOP ISRAELI MILITARY OFFICIAL REVEALS OPERATION AGAINST IRAN ‘STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL DECEPTION’
Iran is rebuilding ties with Hezbollah as Trump issues a 10- to 15-day deadline. (Fadel Itani/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Quds Force acts as a key link between Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, and Hezbollah’s leadership, facilitating the transfer of advanced weaponry and increasing proxy firepower.
“The Quds Force is the branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, responsible for Iran’s relations with its allied militias, such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Kata’ib Hezbollah in Iraq, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen,” Harrison clarified.
“The Quds Force is the IRGC’s expeditionary force, designed to provide Iran with strategic depth,” he said.
“They are (or were) important in managing Iran’s relations with shadowy militia organizations, and these have been tested in recent years as Hamas and Hezbollah have been demoted.”
On Saturday, the US-Israeli airstrike campaign also targeted Iranian leaders in Tehran, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, dramatically escalating tensions in the Middle East and provoking regional retaliation.
KEANE WARNS IRAN STRIKE WILL BECOME ‘REGIONAL WAR’, SAYS THREE GULF STATES PREPARING FOR FIGHT
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Saturday. (Getty Images)
An interim Leadership Council consisting of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi is temporarily in charge of Iran and acts as the de facto head of state.
“If Iran ends the war prematurely, they believe the US and Israel can come back later,” Harrison said.
“If they escalate, they have an opportunity to recreate deterrence. It’s a big risk because it could bring them down. But the danger is that they feel they have little choice, and Hezbollah is part of that for Iran.
“If the Iranian regime can hold on, they win. That said, Iran cannot win militarily, but if they can deny the US a victory, they win.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Essentially, the Iranian regime is seeking to increase the pain of both Israel and the Gulf Arab states in order to restore deterrence lost since the June 2025 war,” Harrison added.
“Attacking civilian areas and economic pain points together with Hezbollah is also part of this strategy.”
Related article
