Raad says Hezbollah escalating to 'preserve deterrence equation'

The head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammad Raad, said Sunday that his group is “reassured” over the course of its conflict with Israel.

“The resistance is escalating its operations against the Israeli enemy to a certain level in order to preserve the deterrence equation,” Raad said.

Hezbollah is doing this “so that the enemy does not fantasize that it has become capable and prepared to pounce on Lebanon and achieve its illusions in it,” the lawmaker added.

“Accordingly, we will emerge victorious when we thwart the enemy’s goals,” Raad went on to say.

Since October 8, the cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has killed at least 419 people in Lebanon, mostly militants but also including 82 civilians.

Israel says 14 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed on its side of the border.