By The Diary
Sep 19, 2024, 9:43 PM EDT
The head of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, Hassan Nasrallah, acknowledged that the explosion of communication devices of members of this pro-Iranian group, which he attributed to Israel, constituted a “hard blow” for which he promised a “just punishment.”
Nasrallah denounced the “massacre” as a “declaration of war,” in his first speech since Tuesday and Wednesday’s explosions of beepers and walkie-talkies in Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, which left 37 dead and nearly 3,000 wounded.
“Israel will face harsh retaliation”
The leader of the pro-Iranian movement said Israel will face “harsh retaliation and just punishment, both where it is expected and where it is not expected.” During his televised statement, Israeli planes flew over Beirut, breaking the sound barrier.
Simultaneous explosions of hundreds of beepers, a communication device used by Hezbollah, killed 12 people on Tuesday; on Wednesday, another 25 people died in explosions on walkie-talkies, according to reports from the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
“The enemy wanted to kill 5,000 people”
Hezbollah said 25 of its members were killed in the blasts. Nasrallah said in his speech that “the enemy wanted to kill no less than 5,000 people.”
Israel has not commented on the explosions, but Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Wednesday that the “center of gravity” of the ongoing war against the Palestinian Hamas movement in Gaza is moving “northward” to the border with Lebanon.
The US said it will protect Israel
The United States is ready to protect Israel from any attack that may come in retaliation for the wave of simultaneous explosions of hundreds of communication devices suffered by the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, which blames the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, on Tuesday and Wednesday, reported EFE.
“The capability we have in the region is greater than what we had on April 13, when Iran launched an attack on Israel, so we are confident in the capability we have there right now to protect our forces and come to Israel’s defense if necessary,” said Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh.
With information from Deutsche Welle
Continue reading:
- US reiterates it will defend Israel if there are retaliations for attacks in Lebanon
- US warns against escalation over Lebanon blasts
- Fears of retaliation grow after beepers and walkie-talkies explode in Lebanon