By Aziz Taher and Ahmad El Kerdi
BEIRUT, July 17 (Reuters) – Hezbollah will hit new Israeli targets if Israel keeps targeting civilians in Lebanon, the group’s leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Wednesday, saying there had been a spike in the number of non-combatants killed in Lebanon in recent days.
Five civilians, all Syrians and including three children, were killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon on Tuesday and at least three Lebanese civilians were killed the day before, according to state media and security sources.
Israel has said it is striking Hezbollah militants and infrastructure in Lebanon and does not target civilians.
“Continuing to target civilians will push the Resistance to launch missiles at settlements that were not previously targeted,” Nasrallah said, in comments made during a televised address to mark the Shi’ite holy day Ashura.
Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group and the most powerful military and political force in Lebanon, refers to all Israeli population centres as settlements and does not recognise Israel.
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Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a “support front” with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.
The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.
Nasrallah vowed that destroyed homes would be rebuilt.
He was speaking via video link to tens of thousands of Shi’ite Muslims gathered in southern Beirut to mark Ahsura.
The annual period of mourning to commemorate the 7th century death of Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, is often a moment for Hezbollah to showcase its popular support and military might.
Mourners clad in black marched and slapped their chests in a practice meant to evoke the pain felt by Hussein at the time of his killing.
Many carried images of Hezbollah fighters killed by Israel in more than nine months of fighting.
To maintain security, hundreds of Hezbollah members were deployed at checkpoints, mounted on motorbikes and positioned on rooftops, including with new weapons including technology that sources familiar with the matter said could interfere with and down drones.
This year, processions in southern Lebanon were cancelled due to the clashes with Israel.
Fears have grown in recent weeks among international observers that Israel may expand its military operations in Lebanon, risking a wider war.
Israel has said it is undertaking the necessary preparations for a wider operation but no decision has yet been made. Hezbollah has said it does not want war with Israel but is ready for it.
(Reporting by Laila Bassam and Timour Azhari in Beirut and Clauda Tanios in Dubai; Writing by Timour Azhari; Editing by Sharon Singleton, Hugh Lawson and Alison Williams)
