Hizbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah has held a provocative speech, at the same time as tensions between the Iran-backed Shia militia and Israel increase.
Let the enemy know that if a full-scale war is declared against Lebanon, we will fight it without restrictions, he says.
On Tuesday, Hizbollah published film clips that allegedly show, among other things, how drones have photographed military infrastructure in Israel. Shortly after, the Israeli military announced that an operational plan for an offensive in Lebanon had been approved.
"In a full-scale war, Hizbollah will be destroyed and Lebanon will be severely affected", said Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz in a statement.
"No place is safe"
Now, Hizbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah responds in a speech during a memorial ceremony for a high-ranking Hizbollah member who was recently killed by Israel.
(The enemy) knows that no place is safe from our rockets, he says in his address, which is being shown on TV screens during the ceremony in Beirut.
He also mentions the large arsenal of weapons that the militia has access to and threatens that the film clip published on Tuesday only contains a small part of the material that the drones have gathered. Previously, it has been reported that Hizbollah has 100,000 fighters at its disposal – now Nasrallah says it is significantly more than that, and that the militia has gained access to new weapons that the world has not yet seen.
An invasion (by Israel) is still on the table if the fighting escalates, says Nasrallah.
Threatening Cyprus
Nasrallah also claims that Israel, in the event of a war against Lebanon, will use airbases and infrastructure in Cyprus, and threatens that "the resistance will target" it in that case.
On the Mediterranean island, there are two British military bases, but they are located on sovereign British territory and are not controlled by the Cypriot government.
Cyprus is not involved in any military conflicts. We are acting to be part of the solution rather than the problem, said the Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides on Wednesday in response to the threats, reports Politico.
Such statements are not pleasant, but they do not reflect reality, he continued, and underscored Cyprus's role in establishing a humanitarian corridor for aid to Gaza.
Ongoing clashes
The clashes have continued on Wednesday. Dozens of rockets have been fired towards northern Israel, according to Hizbollah. Several of them were shot down, according to Israel, which in turn reports that fighter jets have hit two Hizbollah targets in different locations in southern Lebanon.
State-owned Lebanese media report on several Israeli attacks on villages in the country's southern parts. According to Hizbollah, four fighters have been killed during the day.
Analysts have long warned of the risk that the Gaza war could expand into a full-scale, regional war in the heavily contested border area between Lebanon and Israel. There, Hizbollah and Israel's military have been exchanging fire since 7 October.
