Hezbollah will ‘double’ Israel’s death toll if Lebanese civilians killed

Hezbollah has promised to “double” the death toll from any Israeli attacks on civilians after a strike killed three children and their grandmother in southern Lebanon.

“The resistance will respond double to any aggression that targets civilians,” lawmaker Ali Fayyad said at the funeral of the four Lebanese killed on Sunday. “It hasn’t yet shown all its weight.”

The remarks reflect the volatile situation on the Israeli-Lebanese border where deadly clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters are fueling fears of a wider Middle East war.

The border violence is the deadliest since the Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006. More than 60 Hezbollah fighters and 10 civilians have died. At least seven Israeli soldiers and one civilian have been killed.