Killing Hezbollah commanders will not defeat group, Iran says

DUBAI (Reuters) - Killing Hezbollah commanders will not bring the group to its knees, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday, after Israel hit senior figures in the Iran-backed movement during days of devastating air strikes across Lebanon.

"The organisational strength and human resources of Hezbollah is very strong and will not be critically hit by the killing of a senior commander, even if that is clearly a loss," Khamenei said.

Israel's new offensive against Hezbollah has killed 569 people since Monday according to Lebanon's health minister. The deadliest assault on Lebanon in nearly two decades follows nearly a year of war between Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza.

The "Palestinian and Lebanese resistance will have the final victory," Khamenei said, accusing Israel of killing civilians because it was unable to defeat its foes.

Iran has been Hezbollah's ally since the Lebanese armed group's establishment in 1982.

Khamenei blamed Washington for the escalation in Lebanon, which follows attacks last week that blew up pagers and hand-held radios distributed by Hezbollah.

Despite assertions by Washington that it did not know the Israeli plans in advance, "the U.S. both knows and interferes," Khamenei said, adding that President Joe Biden's administration "needs a victory for the Zionist regime" before a presidential election in November.

(Reporting by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Peter Graff)

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