Lebanon explosions: Hassan Nasrallah acknowledges “unprecedented blow” and promises Hezbollah response

It was an expected speech. The day after the wave of explosions targeting Hezbollah walkie-talkies, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah spoke out Thursday in a televised address. After a large-scale attack on the pagers on Tuesday, the militia’s transmission devices also exploded on Wednesday across the country. These attacks, attributed to Israel, left 37 dead and more than 3,000 injured, according to a provisional report.

“We have witnessed a great massacre throughout the country,” Hassan Nasrallah began, saying that “the enemy” had “crossed all the red lines.” “Yes, we have received a hard and unprecedented blow,” acknowledged the leader of the Shiite organization, classified as a terrorist organization by many states, including the European Union. These attacks “constitute a violation of all laws and all red lines, without regard for anything, both on a humanitarian and ethical level,” deplored the leader of the Shiite militia. As a final provocation, Israeli planes continued to fly low over the city of Beirut, while the leader of Hezbollah continued his speech.

“The Lebanese Front will not stop its support for Gaza”

Despite the scale of the attacks, the Lebanese organization reiterates its determination to defend Gaza at all costs. “We will not fall. We will become stronger and prepare to face the worst,” Nasrallah assured. “I say: whatever the obstacles and sacrifices, the Lebanese Front will not stop its support for Gaza, the West Bank and Palestine!” the leader insisted. In passing, he indicated that his organization had opened an internal investigation into the walkie-talkie explosions.

In a second step, the Hezbollah leader addressed Israeli leaders, assuring them that they would not succeed in “bringing back the citizens (Israelis evacuated) in the North” at home. “Do what you want, you will not succeed. The only solution is to stop the aggression against the people of Gaza,” he warned as his organization has been pounding northern Israel with rockets for months.

Hezbollah Promises ‘Terrible Punishment’ for Israel

Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the return of residents who had fled northern Israel due to fire from Lebanese militias was now a “war aim.” The Israeli leader promised that he would bring “the citizens of the north home safely,” without providing details.