Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem, in a televised speech, said his group did not want to expand the war from Lebanon, "but if Israel expands, a response is inevitable to the maximum extent necessary...".
Hezbollah fighters carry the coffin of Wissam Tawil during a funeral in Khirbet Silem, Lebanon on January 9, 2024. Photo: Reuters
The Israeli military earlier said it had killed the commander of Hezbollah's air force unit in southern Lebanon, who it accused of orchestrating attacks on Israel in recent months. However, Hezbollah denied the claim, saying it had "no truth at all".
Hezbollah said its drones attacked the Israeli military headquarters in Safed, northern Israel, in part in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas deputy leader Saleh Al Arouri in Beirut last week and in response to Israel's killing of Hezbollah's top commander Wissam Tawil on Monday.
Thousands of people attended Tawil's funeral in south Lebanon, his coffin was draped in Hezbollah's yellow flag as it was carried through the streets.
An officer in Hezbollah's elite Radwan force, Tawil has played a leading role in directing the armed wing's operations in southern Lebanon and has previously been deployed to Syria, where the group has supported the Syrian government in its civil war.
Hezbollah said Tawil was also involved in a cross-border raid into Israel in 2006 in which the group captured two Israeli soldiers, sparking the last major war between the two sides.
A source familiar with Hezbollah's operations said it was the first time the group had attacked Safed, about 14 kilometers (9 miles) from the Israeli-Lebanese border, since fighting between the two sides erupted in the aftermath of the Gaza conflict.
An Israeli military spokesman also confirmed that a northern base had been hit from the air but did not give an exact location. The spokesman said there were no damage or casualties.
The Israeli military said its air force struck Hezbollah targets in the Lebanese border village of Kfar Kila and a drone strike elsewhere in southern Lebanon.
Huy Hoang (according to Reuters)
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