Day after Sinwar’s killing, Hezbollah says war with Israel entering ‘new phase’

Lebanon-based terror group Hezbollah on Friday said that its war with Israel has entered a “new phase”, a day after IDF confirmed that Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar had died in an airstrike in Gaza.

Sinwar’s death has possibly changed the trajectory of the ongoing conflict in West Asia amid Israel’s plan to launch a retaliatory attack against Iran which is expected to happen soon. The Hamas chief was the mastermind of the October 7 attack.

Hamas has still not responded to the Israeli announcement, but its ally Iran released a statement commemorating the Palestinian militant leader via its mission to the United Nations.

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Many hoped that Sinwar’s death would pave the way for Israel to end the war but for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “our war has not ended yet”.

How has Hezbollah entered a new phase of war?

A statement from the group’s operations room early Friday said that Hezbollah’s fighters have used new types of precision-guided missiles and explosive drones for the first time.

The statement appears to refer to a drone laden with explosives that evaded Israel’s multilayered air-defense system and slammed into a mess hall at a military training camp deep inside Israel, killing four soldiers and wounding dozens.

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The group also announced earlier this week that it fired a new type of missile, Qader 2, toward the suburbs of Tel Aviv.

The statement also said that Hezbollah’s air defense units shot down this week two Israeli Hermes 450 drones.

World leaders demand release of hostages

Meanwhile, world leaders have called for the release of hostages held in Gaza by Hamas after its chief’s death.

On the other hand, UN chief Antonio Guterres did not welcome the elimination of Yahya Sinwar, just as he refused to declare Hamas a terrorist organization after October 7.

With inputs from agencies