In the southern suburbs of Beirut, Hezbollah’s stronghold of Dahiya, large crowds dressed in black attended the funeral of Fuad Shukr, a senior commander of the powerful Lebanese militia and political movement, and its most prominent member killed by Israel during the current hostilities.
They carried banners with Shukr’s face, waved the yellow-and-green Hezbollah flag and chanted the group’s slogans, sometimes raising their fists in the air.
The Israeli military has said Shukr was behind a rocket attack that killed 12 children and teenagers on a soccer field in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday. Hezbollah denies involvement, although it initially claimed to have struck a nearby military base, raising the possibility that the rocket missed its intended target.
Shukr, who was also known as al-Hajj Mohsin, is said to have been a close advisor to Hassan Nasrallahthe influential and long-standing leader of Hezbollah.
As the crowd gathered, Nasrallah gave a televised speech, focusing on possible clues about Hezbollah’s next moves.
The conflict with Israel had entered a “new phase,” he said, speaking from an undisclosed location, as he always does for security reasons. The enemy must wait for the “inevitable reaction” because it had crossed “red lines,” he added, saying the reaction would be proportionate to Israel attacking a civilian building.
His tone seemed to indicate that the group was not interested in another major war with Israel. But there are concerns that they could slide into one.
“I’m not afraid of war. We’re ready for whatever Sheikh Nasrallah decides to do,” one man in the crowd told me. “Inshallah,” said another, meaning God willing, when asked if he believed Hezbollah would take revenge for the killing.
Shukr’s killing on Tuesday, which left six other people dead, including two younger siblings, fueled fears that the relatively contained conflict between Hezbollah and Israel could escalate into an all-out war, potentially affecting the entire Middle East.
Hezbollah says its campaign, which began a day after Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, is in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Most of the group’s attacks, and Israeli counterattacks, have been limited to areas along the Lebanon-Israel border.
Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has long been seen by Israel as a far more formidable foe than Hamas. The group has an increasingly sophisticated arsenal of weapons, including attack drones and precision-guided missiles that can strike deep inside Israel.
A conflict with Hezbollah would likely also involve other Iranian-backed groups in the region, members of what Tehran calls the “Axis of Resistance” — the Houthis in Yemen or militias in Iraq, for example.
Iran has also vowed to respond to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas who was assassinated on Wednesday during a visit to Tehran for the inauguration of the new Iranian president.
Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel, which has remained silent. The killing has dealt a blow to the possibility of any success in ongoing ceasefire and hostage-release talks between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. It is the main hope for easing tensions with Hezbollah, and diplomatic efforts continue to try to de-escalate the situation.
The Israeli military has said it is prepared for any scenario as the country prepares for a possible response to the two killings.
Nasrallah’s speech, as expected, contained some harsh words against Israel, but it did not suggest that a larger war was imminent.
