TEHRAN - A prominent Lebanese journalist says the military capabilities of the Hezbollah resistance movement have deterred Israel from launching a large-scale offensive on Lebanon.

“The Israeli army cannot enter Lebanon due to fear of confronting Hezbollah. This is because if a Lebanese citizen was killed by the occupying regime, Hezbollah would kill a settler and if a building was destroyed, the resistance fighters would respond in kind,” Ali Shoeib, a reporter of the Al-Manar TV said. 

He is among one of the foreign guests who have attended an international media festival in Tehran. 

The journalist noted that Israel does not dare carry out acts of aggression against Lebanese citizens. 

Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire since Israel declared war on Gaza on October 7.

The resistance movement has announced that it will not stop attacks on Israel unless the regime ends the genocidal war on the besieged Palestinian territory. 

Shoeib touched upon Hezbollah’s military achievements, saying it has hit 50 important Israeli military bases over the past months. 

He said up to 100,000 Israeli settlers have been displaced due to Hezbollah’s attacks on the regime’s positions. 

Shoeib stressed that Israel will fail to achieve its military goals. 

Hezbollah has already fought off two Israeli wars against Lebanon in 2000 and 2006. The resistance movement forced Israel to retreat in both conflicts.

Since the 2006 war, Hezbollah has considerably boosted its military capabilities in the face of Israeli aggression. 

Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah has already said that the resistance group has 100,000 fighters.

Hezbollah is underpinned by its sophisticated arsenal and has increased its stockpile of missiles from 14,000 in 2006 to about 150,000. The movement has also developed precision-guided missiles and drone programs. 

In March, Hezbollah issued a stern warning to Israel over waging a war on Lebanon. 

“We, hereby, declare that if they commit a foolish act and attack our territories, there would then be a new version of the 2006 July war,” Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said.