Hezbollah Commander Warns Retaliation Strikes Will Target New Sites Deeper Into Israel

As the world awaits an Iranian retaliation strike against Israel, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah warned Tuesday of ‘strong and effective’ attacks on Israel.

The leader of the Lebanese militant group spoke on national television earlier Tuesday at the one-week memorial of Fuad Shukr, the group’s top military commander, who was killed in Israeli air strikes in Beirut. 

Iran “finds itself obliged to respond, and the enemy is waiting in a great state of dread,” Nasrallah said, adding that Hezbollah will respond “alone or in the context of a unified response from all the axis” of Iran-backed proxy groups “whatever the consequences.”

He added that “Israel is no longer as strong it was in the past and neither are its defensive capabilities. Israel is asking for help from the US, from the West, from Europe and from Arab regimes – this is evidence of Israel’s decline in prestige. The command and control centers, Iron Dome, ‘David’s Sling,’ and the Israeli and US satellites are on high alert – while today a missile fell east of Acre.”

“The entire region today is in the face of a real danger,” Nasrallah noted. He said, “Everyone needs to understand the risks in the current situation regarding Palestine, because if the Israeli government wins in the struggle over the West Bank and the Gaza Strip – then there is no Palestinian people, there won’t even be Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

Nasrallah also said the militant group will be targeting new Israeli high-value asset targets much deeper in the country than ever before. 

Listen here… 

⚡️⭕️[ENGLISH] 2024-08-06 Hezbollah secretary general Sayed Hassan Nasrallah speech live streamhttps://t.co/kbYAM5VJrf

— Middle East Observer (@ME_Observer_) August 6, 2024

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Meanwhile, President Biden was briefed on Monday about preparations to support Israel should all hell break out in the Middle East.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said officials are working “around the clock” to prevent a broadening conflict. 

Axios reported that Monday’s Middle East briefing with Biden and officials provided little details about the timing and nature of an Iranian attack. 

Biden said:

“We received updates on threats posed by Iran and its proxies, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate regional tensions, and preparations to support Israel should it be attacked again.”

Both U.S. and Israeli leaders have continued to ready their forces to respond to a heightened level of attacks across the Middle East.

“Israel is in a state of very high readiness for any scenario—on both defense and offense. We will exact a very high price for any act of aggression against us from any quarter whatsoever,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in an Aug. 1 press statement.

Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh also announced that additional U.S. missile defense capabilities were deploying to the region on Aug. 2.

Singh said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to deploy to the CENTCOM area of operations, which covers Israel and the broader Middle East.

She said Austin also ordered another fighter squadron to the Middle East to bolster regional air defense capabilities and was readying to deploy additional land-based ballistic missile defense systems.

What remains a mystery is the timing of the potential Iranian retaliation – and really it’s impossible to know the scale of the attack. But what’s very likely is a direct assault on Israel by Iran or proxy forces that could very well drag in Western nations, such as the US. 

In markets, an exploding regional conflict could have major implications on the oil market.

So far, energy traders have shrugged off geopolitical concerns and instead focused on the demand woes of slowing economies in China and the US.