T he Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations has issued a stern warning that Hezbollah's response to Israel's assassination of one of its top commanders, Fuad Shukr, in Beirut on Tuesday may extend to attacking broader and deeper civilian as well as military targets inside Israel.
A spokesperson for the mission, in an exclusive interview with CBS News, indicated that Hezbollah's response to Israel's targeted strike in Beirut, which also killed at least five civilians and wounded several others, will likely deviate from its previous operational limits. "Until now, Hezbollah and the regime have, in an unwritten understanding, practically adhered to certain limits in their military operations, meaning that confining their actions to border areas and shallow zones, targeting primarily military objectives. However, the (Israeli) regime's attack on Dahieh in Beirut and the targeting of a residential building marked a deviation from these boundaries. We anticipate that, in its response, Hezbollah will choose both broader and deeper targets, and will not restrict itself solely to military targets and means," the spokesperson said.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah emphasized on Thursday that Israel had crossed "red lines" and the conflict had "entered a new phase," promising that a response would come, whether spread out or simultaneously. Shukr, believed to have been a close adviser to Nasrallah, was a significant loss for the group.
Israel's strike in Beirut was a retaliatory measure following a rocket attack last Saturday, attributed to Hezbollah, which resulted in the deaths of 12 people, mainly children and teens playing soccer, in the town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.
In light of the escalating regional tensions, the Pentagon announced on Friday the deployment of an additional fighter squadron to the Middle East and the repositioning of additional cruisers and destroyers to help defend Israel and protect U.S. forces. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is set to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the region, according to a Pentagon spokesperson.
Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon and allied with Iran, participated in a major retaliatory attack on April 13, launching over 300 drones and missiles towards Israel. This attack was in response to an Israeli strike on Iran's consulate in Damascus on April 1, which killed several Iranian commanders. U.S. military forces assisted Israel in intercepting most of the projectiles, with only a few managing to land in Israeli territory, resulting in one reported casualty.
The potential for Hezbollah to join another simultaneous retaliatory attack by Iran and its regional proxies, or to conduct its own separate attack, remains uncertain. The group is believed to possess an arsenal of 150,000 missiles and rockets, including long-range weapons that could overwhelm Israel's "Iron Dome" anti-missile defense system.
Israel's military, already engaged in conflict with Hamas in Gaza, has expressed concerns about the feasibility of fighting on two fronts. An Israeli official indicated that while Israel managed to mitigate significant impact from Iran's April 13 attack, a more aggressive retaliation is anticipated this time, potentially extending beyond Israeli territory to target Israeli assets abroad.
Hamas's top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in Tehran on Wednesday by an explosion, with U.S. officials confirming Israel's involvement. This follows the confirmation of Israel's killing of Mohammad Deif, the leader of Hamas's military wing, in Gaza last month.
The assassinations of these key figures have heightened fears that tensions between Israel and Iran may escalate into a larger regional conflict in the coming days.
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