Iran Warns Hezbollah Will Attack Israeli Civilian Targets

August 5, 2024

by: Joshua Spurlock ~ The Mideast Update

Monday, 5 August 2024 | Iran’s Mission to the United Nations openly stated in an interview with CBS News published on Friday that they expect Hezbollah to intentionally attack Israeli civilian targets in retaliation for the assassination of Hezbollah chief-of-staff and wanted terrorist Fu’ad Shukr. The brazen threat comes after Israel killed Shukr as the planner behind a Hezbollah missile attack that murdered 12 Israeli Arab children on July 27 in Majdal Shams.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, citing the CBS News report in a post on X (formerly Twitter), condemned the Iranian warning: “Iran pleads guilty to committing war crimes. Iran’s UN mission makes it official: Hezbollah—which is 100% funded and controlled by the Iranian regime—will deliberately target Israeli civilians.”

The CBS News report quoted a spokesperson for Iran’s Permanent Mission to the UN who warned they “anticipate” Hezbollah would attack “deeper targets” in Israel and not limit attacks “solely to military targets.” The Iranian claimed that Israel’s killing of Shukr in a residential building violated the “unwritten understanding” between the sides to keep attacks limited in scope and to “primarily military objectives.”

The Iranian comments to CBS ignore that Hezbollah has repeatedly attacked civilian Israeli targets and murdered Israeli civilians—including the Majdal Shams children—since Hamas launched a regional conflict with their October 7 terror massacre of 1,200 Israelis.

Furthermore, Shukr was a terrorist not only wanted by the Israelis but also by the United States for his role in the 1983 Beirut bombing terror attack that killed 241 US soldiers. The US State Department’s “Rewards for Justice” program had offered US $5 million for information on Shakr as a “key” Hezbollah leader, according to the 2017 Country Reports on Terrorism published to the State Department’s website.

In a post to X, the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] explained their reasoning for Israel’s targeting of Shukr, including that he “planned the Majdal Shams massacre,” and he was the “right-hand man” for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The IDF also noted that he has been “orchestrating” the last 10 months of Hezbollah rocket and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks against Israel, and he was involved in developing precision-guided missiles for Hezbollah that could threaten “millions of Israeli civilians.”

Iran’s warning about Hezbollah’s attacks are part of a broader anticipated Iranian attack against Israel following the killings of Shukr and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the death of Haniyeh, whose Hamas organization still holds more than 100 Israeli hostages following October 7 and has been responsible for the repeated murder of Israeli civilians over a span of decades.

Faced with the varied threats, Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday acknowledged the danger facing Israel—but also the nation’s strength. “Our enemies, part of an axis of evil, have declared their intent to attack us soon with great force. I do not underestimate the severity of this threat. I see and hear the deep anxieties, and I am well aware of the concerns and doubts following October 7th,” Herzog said in comments published by his spokesperson.

“Despite everything, as someone privy to intelligence and other materials, I unequivocally declare: The State of Israel is prepared to confront this threat.”

Posted on August 5, 2024

Source: (This article was originally published by The Mideast Update on August 4, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today.)

Photo Credit: Ilse Strauss/bridgesforpeace.com