Hezbollah structure operational, still fighting: Ghalibaf
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The Israeli occupation forces have been faced with numerous obstacles as the defiant Hezbollah batters their forces and remain unscathed by the offensive.
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A screengrab of a video showing fighters of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon readying for confrontations in a short clip released October 14, 2024. (Hezbollah Military Media)
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf asserted on Friday that Hezbollah remains coherent and operational despite the relentless Israeli bombardment and the recent assassination of its leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Ghalibaf emphasized Hezbollah's structural resilience, noting, "Hezbollah's entire structure… is coherent, and it is fighting," while calling for political support for the movement as it navigates the aftermath of Israeli aggression.
Ghalibaf addressed the wider implications of the war, asserting that the Israeli occupation forces had suffered critical strategic and military losses in what he described as a "hybrid war" with the Axis of Resistance. He explained that this coalition, including Hezbollah, has struck deep inside occupied territories in a show of support for Palestinians, who have faced intensified hostilities from the Israeli occupation since October 2023.
"The issue that must not be forgotten is that today the Zionist regime has failed in the hybrid war strategically and militarily," he added, highlighting the mounting pressure the Israeli occupation faces on multiple fronts.
"Israel's" attempts to infiltrate Lebanon have resulted in failure, as the Resistance continues to prevent advances while dealing significant blows against advancing forces, with dozens of Israeli soldiers killed in confrontations and more than 28 Merkava tanks destroyed.
"It has been more than a month that it has attacked southern Lebanon with 5 divisions to capture it, but it has not succeeded yet," he said.
In Gaza, where the Israeli occupation's military campaign has continued unabated, Ghalibaf observed that the Israeli occupation has failed to meet its objectives, which include neutralizing Palestinian Resistance forces and freeing Israeli captives held in the besieged territory.
Despite the extensive military efforts exerted by the Israeli occupation, these aims remain unachieved. In a recent symbolic show of defiance, "Hamas deliberately fired 20 missiles into the heart of Tel Aviv on the anniversary of Operation al-Aqsa Flood," Ghalibaf said, indicating the Palestinian resistance's determination to continue its efforts against Israeli occupation.
'Resilient, formidable'
Following a series of blows suffered by Hezbollah, the Resistance remarkably demonstrated its ability to regroup and recover, displaying its resilience through its continued operations and launches deep into occupied territories and the maneuvers it is carrying out at the southern Lebanese border, curbing "Israel's" ground invasion, an op-ed published in The Washington Post said.
At the start of the so-called limited Israeli "ground operation" in Lebanon, military officials quickly realized that what should have been a couple-weeks-long operation would have to extend for a few more weeks, triggering concerns over the mission creep due to precedents with Hezbollah, particularly during the 2006 July war.
Only a few days later, Hezbollah managed to launch an undetected and unintercepted drone from Lebanon that made an impact directly on its target: Benjamin Netanyahu's bedroom in Caesarea, after declaring that a new escalatory phase had commenced.
The Resistance group was able to make a quick recovery, according to Lebanese officials, due to the command structure of its leadership and years of preparation for a possible Israeli invasion.
The authors explore the ground invasion in more detail, highlighting that Hezbollah's operations prevent the Israeli occupation forces from advancing no more than four or five kilometers into Lebanese territories.
In this context, an IOF official described Hezbollah as a "formidable foe", emphasizing the Resistance fighters' skills and competence on the battlefield, which have tremendously improved since the 2006 war and the combat in Syria, as well as the advanced arsenal they now possess.
One Lebanese official thereby compared Hezbollah's structure to a Russian doll, saying, “You think it’s one thing, but when you open, it’s many, all independent.”
Despite field observations, "Israel" seems to be hopeful and insists that its occupation forces managed to allegedly destroy a significant portion of Hezbollah's strongholds across Lebanon. However, the rocket launches and operations have not ceased and have rather only intensified, reaching in some instances some 150 rockets launched toward occupied territories and soldiers daily.
