The Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah announced Thursday night that it is moving into a new “escalation phase” in its conflict with Israel, and said it is using precision-guided missiles against soldiers.
Hezbollah “announces the transition to a new phase of escalation in the confrontation with the Israeli enemy, which will be reflected in the events and events of the coming days,” it stated in a statement.
The Iranian-backed group assured that its rocket attacks continue to “intensify day after day”, with the “deployment for the first time of precision-guided rockets.”
Additionally, “hundreds of fighters… are fully prepared to counter any Israeli ground incursion into the villages of southern Lebanon,” the statement said, noting that attacks against Israel have increased in recent days.
The announcement came after the Israeli military said on Thursday that its forces had killed Yahya Sinwar, leader of Hezbollah ally Hamas. The statement, however, did not mention the Hamas chief.
South and east Lebanon under fire
Israel has been bombing southern and eastern Lebanon, areas where Hezbollah holds sway, since all-out war broke out on September 23.
In Lebanese border villages, rivals have engaged in hand-to-hand combat after Israel launched a ground invasion last month.
Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike in Beirut on September 27. Israel has repeatedly called for Hezbollah to move away from the border to ensure its citizens can return to their homes in northern Israel.
Earlier on Thursday, Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah claimed that the Israeli army did not fully control any villages in southern Lebanon.
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