Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem said Tuesday the group supports efforts toward a cease-fire in the spiraling conflict along the Lebanon-Israel border.
In televised remarks, Qassem cited attempts by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to secure a halt in fighting, which included Israel announcing new ground operations Tuesday in southwestern Lebanon and continued airstrikes in the Dahieh area of Beirut.
Qassem also said Tuesday that Hezbollah remains organized and has overcome “painful blows.”
Israel’s new ground effort marked an expansion of its incursion into Lebanon that Israeli officials have said is aimed at pushing Hezbollah militants back from the border.
As with its initial ground operations in Lebanon that began September 30, the Israeli military described the new efforts as “limited, localized, targeted operations.”
The Israeli military said Tuesday an airstrike killed a senior Hezbollah commander, Suhail Husseini, who was involved in the transfer of weapons from Iran to the Lebanon-based militant group.
The strike came 10 days after an Israeli attack killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah amid a rapid widening of Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon.
Hezbollah said it fired rockets Tuesday at the northern Israeli city of Haifa, while Israel said it detected dozens of launches crossing from Lebanon.
The conflict has prompted numerous governments to evacuate their citizens from Lebanon. Turkey said it is sending two navy ships to Beirut to evacuate 2,000 of its citizens beginning Wednesday.
The United States said Tuesday that two flights facilitated by the State Department evacuated 180 people from Beirut to Istanbul.
Monday evening, the Israel Defense Forces issued warnings to fishermen and other people in the area of Lebanon’s Awali River, banning them from the beach and the sea in that area and south of it “until further notice.” The river flows into the Mediterranean near the southern city of Sidon.
Somber anniversary
Meanwhile, Israelis held somber ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel was “hurled into a critical battle, but we were not defeated” on October 7.
“We rallied together to defend our country, our homeland. We mustered immense mental strength,” he said. “We outlined the goals of the war, and we are achieving them: toppling the rule of Hamas; bringing all the hostages home, the living and the deceased alike. This is a sacred mission, and we will not stop until we complete it; eliminating any future threat from Gaza to Israel; and returning the residents of the south and the north safely to their homes.”
In Washington, the White House said President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog to offer his condolences. He and first lady Jill Biden marked the anniversary with a memorial candle lighting with a rabbi at the White House.
Biden said in a statement that October 7 will be remembered “as a dark day for the Palestinian people because of the conflict that Hamas unleashed that day.”
“We will not stop working to achieve a cease-fire deal in Gaza that brings the hostages home, allows for a surge in humanitarian aid to ease the suffering on the ground, assures Israel’s security and ends this war,” Biden said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that Israel will ensure its people can return safely home and that everything possible will be done to ensure hostages held in Gaza return.
“Today more than ever, we carry a deep commitment to continue taking every measure necessary to defeat our enemies and to defend our homeland,” Gallant said in a statement.
In a video statement, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged holding on to hope amid bloodshed and division.
“It is time for the release of the hostages. Time to silence the guns. Time to stop the suffering that has engulfed the region. Time for peace, international law and justice,” he said. “The United Nations is fully committed to achieving those goals.”
At the U.N., Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon led a commemoration for the October 7 victims that was attended by diplomats and members of the Jewish community.
“This war was forced upon us, yet we are willing to pay the price,” Danon said. “We are willing to do what we must, regardless of the condemnations, regardless of the bias.”
That toll has been high. The IDF said Monday that 728 soldiers have been killed since October 7 in Gaza and now Lebanon. More than 4,500 have been injured.
Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people in their October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. They also took about 250 people hostage, with around 100 still being held and about one-third of those are believed to be dead.
Israel’s military campaign of air and ground attacks has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 97,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between militants and civilians but has said just more than half were women and children.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah have been designated as terror organizations by the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and others.
VOA U.N. correspondent Margaret Besheer and VOA reporter Natasha Mozgovaya contributed to this report. Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
