Hours after tensions escalated between Hezbollah and Israel on Monday, 2 March, Lebanese officials condemned Hezbollah’s rocket fire and announced that judicial proceedings would be pursued against the group.
Hezbollah issued a statement claiming that, in retaliation for the killing of Khamenei, it had launched six rockets and drones toward Israel. Hours later, Israel responded by initiating a new wave of strikes against Lebanon.
Lebanese media reported extensive attacks, and the country’s official news agency announced in a preliminary estimate that 31 people had been killed and 149 injured.
The Israel Defense Forces stated that it had killed a senior Hezbollah member in a strike on Beirut and two members of the elite “Ramadan” unit in southern Lebanon. The The Jerusalem Post reported that Mohammad Raad, a member of the Lebanese parliament and head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, was killed in the attack.
The Israeli military declared that “Hezbollah is destroying Lebanon and bears responsibility for the escalation.”
Following these developments, Lebanese officials publicly condemned Hezbollah’s actions.
The Prime Minister of Lebanon described the rocket fire from southern Lebanon as an “irresponsible act” that endangers the country’s security.
Additionally, after a call from Adel Nasr, Lebanon’s Justice Minister, the special prosecutor instructed security agencies to arrest those involved in launching rockets toward Israel and hand them over to the Lebanese judiciary.
The President of Lebanon also stressed that the country’s territory must not be used for proxy wars.
