Hezbollah taunts IDF, denies it received ceasefire proposal

‘As long as you cannot control areas in the field, you won’t achieve your political goals,’ says Hezbollah spokesman, denying the war has taken a toll on the group’s missile arsenal.

By World Israel News Staff

Senior spokesman for the Hezbollah terror organization mocked Israel on Monday, denying that the IDF had taken control of towns in southern Lebanon and rejecting claims that the ongoing war with Israel has taken a toll on Hezbollah’s rocket and missile arsenal.

Downplaying reports of major progress towards a truce with Israel, Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif said Monday that the group has not received any official ceasefire proposal.

Afif added that Hezbollah has sufficient weapons and supplies to sustain a prolonged conflict with Israel.

The Hezbollah representative also claimed that six weeks into Israel’s ground operations in southern Lebanon, Israeli forces have yet to secure “even a single village,” an apparent reference to reports of an abortive operation in the the town of Khiam last week.

“As long as you are not able to control areas in the field, you will not achieve your political goals,” Afif said.

Despite Afif’s claims, Israeli forces have reportedly captured multiple villages close to the border during the ongoing ground offensive.

Afif disputed Israeli claims that Hezbollah’s missile arsenal had been substantially depleted, noting that the group continues to launch numerous projectiles daily, targeting areas deep within Israel.

On Monday, the terror group launched roughly fifty rockets at the northern Israeli city of Karmiel.

While the IDF said that most of the projectiles were either intercepted by Israel’s missile defense network or landed in open spaces, at least one rocket struck the Arab Israeli town of Bi’ina, injuring a 27-year-old woman, a 35-year-old man, and an 8-month-old baby.

On Sunday, Israeli media outlets reported that Russia has joined efforts by the U.S. to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

A day later, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar confirmed that progress has been made towards a truce, but added that no agreement has yet been reached on an enforcement mechanism to to keep Hezbollah from rebuilding its forces along the Israeli border.