Hezbollahs acting leader Naim Kassem vows to fight on after Nasrallahs death

Hezbollah’s acting leader vowed Monday to continue battling Israel and said the terrorist group was prepared for a long fight even after much of its top command was wiped out, including its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.Israeli strikes have killed Nasrallah and six of his top commanders and officials in the last 10 days, and have hit what the military says are thousands of terrorist targets across large parts of Lebanon.Over 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon in the past two weeks, nearly a quarter of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry.Early Monday, an airstrike hit a residential building, wiping out one apartment, damaging others, and killing three Palestinian terrorists in central Beirut, as Israel appeared to send a clear message that no part of Lebanon is out of bounds.Despite the heavy blow Hezbollah has suffered in recent weeks, acting leader Naim Kassem said in a televised statement that if Israel decides to launch a ground offensive, the group’s fighters are ready — noting that the commanders killed have already been replaced.“Israel was not able to affect our (military) capabilities,” Kassem said in his first speech since Nasrallah was killed.

“There are deputy commanders and there are replacements in case a commander is wounded in any post.”He added that Hezbollah anticipated “the battle could be long.”A founding member of Hezbollah who had been Nasrallah’s longtime deputy, Kassem will remain in his acting position until the group’s leadership elects a replacement.The man widely expected to take over the top post is Hashem Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah who oversees the group’s political affairs.Hezbollah has significantly increased its rocket attacks in the past week to several hundred daily, but most have been intercepted or fallen in open areas.

Several people have been wounded in Israel.There have been no fatalities since two soldiers were killed near the border on Sept.

19.But Hezbollah’s capa...