Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri declared the country’s Shia Amal Movement is willing and ready to engage in resistance against Israel, after several members of the political party were killed during confrontations with the Israeli army in southern Lebanon.
According to Lebanese military sources, two members of Lebanon’s Amal Movement were killed, and three civilians were injured by Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on February 3.
The sources also said that Israel has already launched air raids and heavy artillery strikes on villages in southern Lebanon.
Many members of the Amal Movement say they will be at the forefront of defending Lebanon.
“During a long period, the Amal Movement was the backbone. The Amal Movement didn’t leave the resistance. It exists today and will continue to defend Lebanon and South Lebanon. As the speaker Berri confirmed, we are all guerrillas, we are all resisters, and we will be at the forefront and in front of everyone, if the war in Lebanon expands, and if Israel launches a ground attack on Lebanon,” said Mohammed Khawaja, a member of Development and Liberation, a parliamentary bloc of the Amal Movement in the Lebanese parliament.
The Lebanon-Israel border witnessed increased tension since October 8 after the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel in support of the Hamas attacks on Israel the previous day, prompting Israel to respond by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.
The Lebanese side also stressed the importance of implementing UN Resolution 1701. The resolution was adopted in August 2006 to seek a full cessation of hostilities shortly after a month of deadly warfare between Israel and Hezbollah ended with a fragile truce.
In response to a complaint that Israel had filed against Lebanon, accusing it of not adhering to Resolution 1701, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted a complaint before the UN Security Council against Israel for violating the resolution.
“So far, I believe that the conflict remains limited for various reasons. In fact, the conflict in the southern Lebanon entered its fifth month, and the Palestine-Israel conflict is keeping going on,” Khawaja said.
“The limitation is no due to Israel’s lack of desire to expand, as their intentions are evident. However, there is a significant concern: Can they secure victory if they engage in a larger-scale war? This aspect is being closely monitored by the United States, and thus far, the US has been reluctant to support an expansion of the conflict.”
The Lebanese foreign ministry stated that Lebanon does not want war but rather an agreement on the full implementation of UN Resolution 1701, including Israel’s complete withdrawal from all Lebanese lands.
“As long as these areas remain occupied, the resistance forces will persist to counter any Israeli aggression, advancements, or ongoing occupation of these territories. Therefore, our proposition is to fundamentally resolve the conflict in these areas, thereby trying to establish a long-term peace and ensure stability,” said Hassan al-Ashmar, the Secretary-General of the Arab Association for Political Science.
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