Hezbollah confirms readiness for ‘long war,’ says no ceasefire offers on table

The Cradle, November 11, 2024 ─ 

Israel’s foreign minister claimed there is ‘progress’ in talks with Lebanon, despite the army recently vowing to expand attacks on the country.

Head of Hezbollah’s Media Relations Office Mohammad Afif vowed in a speech on 11 November that the Lebanese resistance is prepared for a prolonged war – while clarifying that no substantial proposals for a ceasefire have been offered to Lebanon. 

The speech came on the occasion of Martyrs’ Day. 

“We are ready for a long war with the occupation at all levels, whether on the front or in the interior,” Afif said. 

“There are international contacts that we have heard about in the media, but Lebanon has not received any specific proposals. So far, Lebanon has not responded to anything new; we are still in the testing phase, and what we hear is limited to the media and the press,” the Hezbollah official added. 

Afif also commented on Israeli claims about degrading Hezbollah’s military capabilities. 

“Our answer to the claims of a number of Israeli officials, that Hezbollah’s missile stockpile has declined to about 20 percent of our actual capabilities, is clear on the ground … our missiles last week reached the suburbs of Tel Aviv and Haifa, and centers and camps were bombed for the first time in the Golan and in Haifa,” he affirmed. 

He noted the first use of Fateh-110 missile. “We have more,” he warned, adding that the use of new weapons will be “decided by the resistance leadership” under “appropriate management.”

Afif commented on the complete failure of Israel’s ground operation in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli army, “after 45 days of bloody fighting, with five military divisions, two brigades, and 65,000 soldiers, is still unable to occupy a single Lebanese village, and the epic that the Mujahideen wrote in the Khiam Castle is nothing but living evidence of heroism,” Afif said. “Our will to fight that is unbreakable.”

Israeli troops were forced out of Khiam in early November after facing fierce resistance from Hezbollah. The army has been unable to advance deeper than a few kilometers into Lebanese border villages since it began its incursions at the start of October

He added that there is “sufficient time before their tanks sink, with the coming of winter, in the mud of Lebanon.” 

He said Israel will not achieve its goals as long as it cannot control any ground, and that killing civilians and destroying infrastructure will not bring it victory.

Israel’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Gideon Saar claimed on 11 November that there is “certain progress” on a Lebanon ceasefire. “We are working with the Americans on the issue,” he said. 

However, several recent reports reveal that Tel Aviv has demanded a “unilateral” ceasefire from the Lebanese side – while insisting on the right to maintain military access to Lebanese territory and airspace – which Beirut has rejected. 

The Israeli army’s Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said last week that Tel Aviv is planning “for the continuation of the fighting in Lebanon, including the expansion and deepening of the [ground] maneuver.”

Hezbollah’s Operations Room says it has killed over 100 Israeli soldiers and has destroyed dozens of tanks and military vehicles since early October.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem recently challenged Israeli forces to enter deeper into Lebanon. 

Hezbollah has managed to quickly reorganize its ranks, refill all its positions, and increase the pace of its operations against Israel in an effective manner, despite many betting on its downfall after the pager terror attacks and assassination of its leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The resistance group’s rocket, missile, and drone operations have been escalating with each day. 

At least three were wounded in Israel on 11 November following a Hezbollah rocket attack that targeted a military base in the Karmiel settlement.