Hezbollah says ready to fight new Israeli mountain brigade deployed on Lebanon border

Lebanon's Hezbollah said it is prepared to fight any new threats against it after the formation of a specialised mountain brigade by the Israeli military.

Hezbollah said that it was "ready to resist all possibilities and any changes" from Israel, which it said was the root cause of the current regional tension, according to a statement issued to Newsweek.

It comes after Israel announced a new mountain brigade will be deployed to Israel's border with Lebanon and Syria, amid continued clashes between Hezbollah and Israel.

"Israel is always the one who creates conflicts out of fear for its existence and out of more greed," a spokesperson for the Lebanese group told the publication.

According to the military, the Heharim ("Mountain") Brigade will be deployed to the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms and Jabal al-Sheikh, in occupied Lebanon and Syria respectively.

It will come under Israel's 210th Division and will replace the 810th brigade, which is currently deployed to the area.

The commander of the 210th Division, Brigadier General Zion Ratzon, said the new brigade would allow the military to prepare a multitude of defensive and offensive measures in both Lebanon and Syria simultaneously. 

The formation of the brigade comes as Israel's Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi appointed dozens of new mid-level officers in the military structure, most of whom are based in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli forces have launched airstrikes near Baalbek, east Lebanon, killing at least 3 and marking its deepest incursion into Lebanese territory since Israel started its relentless and genocidal war on Gaza. It also marks the first time Israeli forces struck in eastern Lebanon… pic.twitter.com/NHjIRk0MI3

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) February 26, 2024

On Saturday, Halevi warned that Israel was now involved in a multi-fronted war, highlighting "Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria [occupied West Bank], and Gaza, and more distant things".

Israel and Hezbollah have repeatedly clashed since 8 October, following the eruption of war in Gaza, which has killed at least 31,923 Palestinians.

On Tuesday two Israeli soldiers were wounded by a Hezbollah rocket that struck an Israeli position near Menara on the border with Lebanon.

Israel subsequently conducted air strikes across south Lebanon, including in Ayta Ash-Shab, Mays al-Jabal and Odaisseh.

Israel has also ramped up its targeting of southern Syria, reportedly aimed at Hezbollah and Iranian units operating as part of the Syrian regime's military apparatus.

Pro-Iranian militias have also targeted Israel and US interests in the region.

Since the beginning of the clashes, 244 Hezbollah militants have been killed, alongside dozens of militants from other factions, as well as 11 Israeli soldiers.

At least 54 civilians in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli bombing, as well as seven civilians in Israel.