The Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Avichay Adraee, publicly addressed recent comments made by Lebanese pop icon Elissa, following her sharp critique of Hezbollah’s role in the ongoing regional conflict.
In a statement that sparked significant social media engagement, Elissa urged the Lebanese government to take “firm decisions” to protect civilian lives.
She characterized Hezbollah as a group that has “forfeited its resistance status,” labeling it instead as a “terrorist organization par excellence” in light of the current military escalation.
Responding via his official social media channels, Adraee noted the irony in the singer’s shift in rhetoric.
“It is interesting to see you adopting the same logic that previously led you to block me,” Adraee remarked, referring to a past digital confrontation between the two.
Adraee argued that “bitter reality” has validated the IDF’s long-standing position regarding the group’s influence in Lebanon.
While he asserted that “human and Lebanese values” remain a common ground, he added that this realization had come “belatedly, and after an unhonorable block.”
The exchange occurs against a backdrop of collapsing regional de-escalation efforts.
On Tuesday, Hezbollah launched a missile barrage toward northern Israel—the first attack since a previous ceasefire agreement took effect.
The group cited the joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran as the catalyst for the strike, signaling a definitive end to the brief period of relative calm on the Lebanese-Israeli border.
