This archive report was first published on 2 September 2019.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has made a significant statement, declaring that there are no more red lines against Israel. This comes after a recent exchange of fire over the Lebanese-Israeli border.
On Sunday, Hezbollah said its fighters had destroyed a military vehicle on the road to the Avivim barracks in northern Israel, killing or wounding those inside. Israel's army responded with around 100 artillery shells after Hezbollah fired two or three anti-tank missiles at a battalion headquarters and military ambulance, hitting both.
Israeli officials refuted claims of casualties, but the incident marked a significant escalation in the conflict. The exchange of fire came a week after Hezbollah accused Israel of carrying out a drone attack on its southern Beirut stronghold.
On August 24, Israel said it had carried out strikes in Syria to avert an Iranian drone attack on the Jewish state. Hezbollah said those strikes killed two of its members.
Nasrallah vowed to hit 'deep inside Israel,' and not just along the border, in case of a new Israeli attack. 'If you attack us, your borders, soldiers and settlements -- including those on the border and those deep inside (Israel) -- will be threatened and targeted,' he said.
Hezbollah expert Amal Saad told AFP that Sunday's fire 'was a response to the attack in Syria', not to the Beirut drone attack. The Hezbollah leader said the 'first phase' of the response to last week's Israeli attacks on Syria and Lebanon had ended.
However, he said his group would target Israeli drones over Lebanese air space. Hezbollah, which has grown into Iran's most powerful regional proxy, wields huge influence in Lebanese politics and its military might is said to outstrip that of the state.
