BEIRUT (Dispatches) — 
Hezbollah declared Saturday that it has no choice but to resist following Israeli airstrikes in the Beqaa Valley that martyred eight of its fighters, in a new level of aggression surpassing all previous attacks. 
Mahmoud Qomati, deputy head of Hezbollah’s political council, told Al Jazeera that Friday’s strikes represented a deliberate escalation, leaving Hezbollah with no alternative but to respond. 
“What happened yesterday in the Beqaa Valley is an unprecedented violation. Resistance is our only path forward,” he said.
Hezbollah confirmed in official statements that eight of its members were martyred during the attacks, which it described as a “surprise assault” by the Israeli regime. The organization emphasized that the martyrdoms, including both commanders and front-line operatives, would not weaken its resolve to defend Lebanon or its people.
Israeli warplanes carried out multiple strikes on Friday night targeting areas around Riyaq, Qasr Naba, a building near Tamnin, and Sha‘ra in the highlands of Nabi Sheeth. Residential buildings were hit in the strikes, causing civilian casualties and extensive damage to homes, and forcing families to flee the area. 
Hezbollah condemned the attacks as “barbaric” and insisted that they reflected a policy of intimidation and destruction aimed at undermining Lebanese sovereignty and terrorizing the local population.
Hezbollah also denounced Western hypocrisy, pointing out that while Lebanon is pressured to limit its defensive capabilities and disarm Hezbollah, Israel is allowed to carry out military operations with near impunity. 
“The attacks on the Beqaa Valley, including the killing of our fighters and destruction of civilian infrastructure, expose the double standards of international actors who claim to uphold peace while enabling Israeli aggression,” the organization said.
Israel has repeatedly violated ceasefires in southern Lebanon since the end of the 2006 war, killing and injuring hundreds of civilians, while international monitoring committees tasked with enforcing agreements have largely failed to prevent repeated violations. 
Hezbollah’s leadership stressed that the attacks on its fighters are part of a broader campaign of intimidation, but reaffirmed that the organization’s strategy remains grounded in both moral and operational imperatives.
Hezbollah reiterated that any further Israeli incursions would encounter determined resistance, stressing that the blood of its martyrs strengthens, rather than weakens, the organization’s resolve.