TEHRAN: Iran mentioned on Saturday (Aug 3) it expects Lebanon’s Tehran-backed Hezbollah group to hit deeper inside Israel and not be confined to navy targets after Israel killed the Hezbollah navy commander.
Hezbollah has been exchanging near-daily fire with Israeli forces, saying it’s focusing on navy positions over the border, since its Palestinian ally Hamas attacked Israel on Oct 7, sparking the struggle in Gaza.
However a strike claimed by Israel in an overcrowded residential space of South Beirut modified the calculus, Iran’s mission to the United Nations mentioned.
“We count on … Hezbollah to decide on extra targets and (strike) deeper in its response,” mentioned the mission quoted by the official IRNA information company.
“Secondly, that it’ll not restrict its response to navy targets.”
The strike on Tuesday killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr. In response to Lebanon’s well being ministry, 5 civilians – three ladies and two youngsters – additionally died.
Israel mentioned Shukr was chargeable for rocket hearth that killed 12 youths within the annexed Golan Heights and had directed Hezbollah’s assaults on Israel for the reason that Gaza struggle started.
“Hezbollah and the (Israeli) regime had noticed sure strains”, together with limiting strikes to frame areas and navy targets, Iran’s mission mentioned.
The Beirut strike crossed that line, it added.