The Imam Hussein Brigade, an Iran-backed group, is moving from Syria to Lebanon to reinforce Hezbollah forces.
“After a series of failures suffered by Hezbollah against Israel in recent weeks, the Iranian Imam Hussein Brigade has arrived in Southern Lebanon,” the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee said on Thursday.
“The militia has engaged in confrontation with the IDF in recent weeks along the Lebanese border,” said Adraee. “Hezbollah and the Imam Hussein Brigade will cause Lebanon to pay a heavy price for the benefit of Hamas-ISIS. The IDF is fully prepared to respond to anyone who tries to undermine its sovereignty in the north.”
Arab media reports suggest that the militia has 1,000 members and is led by Zulfiqar Hanawi, a Lebanese national.
Since the beginning of the war against Hamas, terror squads in Lebanon have been firing mortars and anti-tank missiles at IDF positions and communities in northern Israel. The military has responded with retaliatory strikes but has refrained from escalation.
Palestinian sources have reported that Hamas leaders feel betrayed by Iran and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah is due to deliver a televised address on Friday.
