A spokesperson for Hezbollah told Newsweek that the Iran-aligned Lebanese militant group did not have immediate plans to retaliate against Israel and the United States after President Donald Trump ordered direct U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.
“Iran is a strong country capable of defending itself, logic dictates that it can confront America and Israel,” a Hezbollah spokesperson said in a message to Newsweek late Saturday. “Hezbollah remains committed to all matters agreed upon since the ceasefire.”
Hezbollah signed a ceasefire with Israel last November, just over a year after the Palestinian Hamas movement launched a surprise attack against Israel, sparking a regional conflict that drew in the Iran-led Axis of Resistance coalition.
Israel and Hezbollah have since continued to accuse one another of violating the truce. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out strikes in recent days against the group’s leadership, special forces and military infrastructure in Lebanon, citing “intelligence indicating Hezbollah’s attempts to rebuild its capabilities.”
“Despite the attacks carried out by the Israeli enemy,” the Hezbollah spokesperson added, “the party has remained committed to the agreement.”
Hezbollah had previously indicated to Newsweek that the group would not intervene directly in support of Tehran after Israel launched a sweeping series of strikes against Iran last week, setting off daily exchanges of fire between the longtime foes.
Yet Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Friday that Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem “hasn’t learned from his predecessors and is threatening to act against Israel.” He urged that “the Lebanese proxy be careful and understand that Israel has lost patience with the terrorists who threaten it.”
The Hezbollah spokesperson with whom Newsweek spoke the following day emphasized that Qassem, who assumed the helm after Israel killed longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah last September, has “supported” Iran through his statements, and that future actions may affect the group’s calculus.
“Therefore, the issue remains subject to developments,” the Hezbollah spokesperson said. “However, Iran certainly has its own military capabilities.”
Demonstrators wave Hezbollah flags and cheer during a protest against Israeli attacks on Iran, after the Friday prayer ceremonies on June 20, 2025, in central Tehran, Iran.
Majid Saeedi/Getty Images
Trump first announced via Truth Social late Saturday, early Sunday local time in Iran, that the U.S. had completed a “very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.”
The strikes came after more than a week of speculation of forthcoming U.S. military intervention, fueled by aircraft movements, the evacuation of nonessential staff and U.S. citizens in the region as well as Trump’s own threats to the Islamic Republic and its leadership, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant had particularly been in focus given that current and former Israeli officials had long assessed only the U.S. military’s Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) “bunker buster” bombs would be capable of destroying the heavily fortified underground facility located beneath a mountain around 20 miles from the city of Qom.