Hezbollah praises Iranian attack on Israel
BEIRUT, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's Hezbollah on Sunday "congratulated" Iran on its overnight "unprecedented" attack on Israel.
The Iran-backed Shiite armed group extended in a statement its congratulations to the Iranian leadership and people for "the unprecedented attack targeting the entity of the oppressive and aggressive enemy," considering the move an application of Iran's "natural and legal right."
Iran launched a combined attack with dozens of ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones on Israel late Saturday, triggering air raid alerts across Israel. The Israeli military on Sunday put the number of Iran's launches at more than 300, noting 99 percent of them were intercepted.
In early Sunday morning, Iran's Permanent Mission to the United Nations said on social media platform X that the attack came in response to the deadly Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus on April 1, and "the matter can be deemed concluded."
The mission stressed the strike on Israel was based on Article 51 of the UN Charter regarding the legitimate right to self-defense.
Hezbollah's statement came as its tensions with Israel have been escalating since Oct. 8, 2023, following its launching of a barrage of rockets toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel the day before. In response, Israel retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.
On Sunday afternoon, Israel carried out eight air strikes on six towns and villages in Lebanon's southern border region and fired 45 shells at 14 towns and villages in the area, according to Lebanese military sources.
The unnamed sources added that they monitored the launching of about 25 surface-to-surface missiles and several drones from Lebanon toward northern Israel, some of which were responded to by Israeli Iron Dome missiles. ■