New York Representative Ritchie Torres criticized what he termed the “selective outrage” shown by those condemning Israel’s targeted strikes on Hezbollah militants, while turning a blind eye to the nearly constant, indiscriminate attacks the Lebanese group has launched against Israel over the past year.

In a social media post shared on Thursday, Torres, a congressman from New York, expressed his frustration with individuals who, in his view, only focus on Israel’s actions against Hezbollah’s communications infrastructure while failing to acknowledge the terrorist group’s continuous attacks on Israel.

Torres, who represents New York’s 15th Congressional District and left the Congressional Progressive Caucus in February due to its harsh criticism of Israel, argued that singling out Israel’s defensive actions while ignoring Hezbollah’s aggression works against the efforts to achieve peace.

“You are obstinately opposing Israel’s right to defend itself against the world’s most heavily armed terrorist organization,” Torres said, stressing the importance of Israel’s self-defense in the face of Hezbollah’s violence.

Since hostilities began, Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets into Israel, forcing people to flee their homes and causing widespread damage.

“How can one be outraged over a precision strike by Israel against terrorists while remaining silent about Hezbollah’s role in firing over 8,000 rockets against Israel; in displacing up to 100,000 Israelis from their homes; and in murdering 12 Druze children with relentless rocket fire?” Torres asked, calling attention to the uneven criticism directed at Israel.

Recently, Torres, a consistent advocate for Israel’s right to defend itself, also criticized airlines that suspended flights to Israel, accusing them of “effectively boycotting” the Jewish state.

This comes after reports that Israel had targeted Hezbollah leaders’ communication equipment in Lebanon, part of the country’s response to Hezbollah’s relentless attacks on Israeli civilians. According to Breitbart News, senior Hezbollah officials’ communication devices were blown up across Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Currently, Israel is engaged in a military operation aimed at dismantling Hamas in Gaza following the October 7 terrorist attack, which resulted in the murder of nearly 1,200 people, most of whom were Israeli civilians. This attack, the worst massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust, left over 4,800 wounded and saw 241 people taken hostage, with more than half still being held in Gaza. The casualties included a significant number of American citizens.

On October 8, a day after the Hamas assault, Hezbollah launched guided rockets and artillery at Israel, further escalating the conflict. Since then, clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces have intensified, with fighting across the Lebanon-Israel border causing large-scale displacements and raising concerns of a broader war between the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and Israel.

Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia Islamist political and military force, holds significant sway in Lebanon, where it influences both the government and security forces, often acting like a separate state within the country. Over the years, its military might has grown, at times even surpassing the capabilities of the Lebanese Army. With backing from Iran and political support from Syria, Hezbollah has extended its operations beyond Lebanon’s borders, notably joining the Syrian Civil War on behalf of the Assad regime.

Hezbollah, recognized as a terrorist group by over a dozen nations and international organizations, including key Western countries, the European Union, and many members of the Arab League, has been responsible for numerous attacks targeting Americans, French, Israelis, and others.

Its actions pose a significant threat to Israel’s security, and its relationship with the United States has been fraught with tension. In 1983, Hezbollah carried out a bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 241 American military personnel, an attack that remains one of the deadliest assaults on Americans prior to 9/11.

Speaking at an event in 2018 commemorating the 35th anniversary of the attack, then-President Donald Trump remarked, “No terrorist group other than al Qaeda has more American blood on its hands.”