Netanyahu vows ‘firm’ response to Hezbollah attacks; Iran says won’t leave Israeli aggression ‘unanswered’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Sunday to take a "firm" stand against Hezbollah's actions and to block any attempts by the group to rearm, according to a statement from his office, while visiting the northern border with Lebanon.

Addressing the soldiers stationed at the border, Netanyahu said, "I want to be clear: with or without an agreement, the key to restoring peace and security in the north, the key to bringing our northern residents back home safely, is first and foremost to push Hezbollah back beyond the Litani River, secondly to target any attempt to rearm, and thirdly to respond firmly to any action taken against us."

In a separate development, on Sunday, protesters in Tehran burned Israeli and US flags outside the former American embassy, commemorating the 1979 hostage crisis, a pivotal event in US-Iran relations. The US military announced on Saturday that American B-52 bombers had arrived in the Middle East as part of a military reinforcement to caution Iran.

Meanwhile, Iran’s president commented on a possible ceasefire between its allies and Israel on Sunday, saying that it "could influence" Tehran’s reaction to recent Israeli attacks on Iranian military positions.

"If they (the Israelis) reconsider their behaviour, accept a ceasefire and stop massacring the oppressed and innocent people of the region, it could affect the intensity and type of our response," Masoud Pezeshkian stated, as reported by IRNA, Iran's state news agency. He said that Iran "will not leave unanswered any aggression against its sovereignty and security."

Israeli jets conducted strikes on October 26 in retaliation, according to Israel, for a missile barrage from Tehran on October 1. Iran, in turn, said its attack was in response to the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders and a commander from the Revolutionary Guards.

(With inputs from agencies)

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