‘Israeli enemy has dealt us a very hard blow,’ admits Hezbollah chief
As Hassan Nasrallah delivered his speech , Israeli airplanes were seen and heard flying over Beirut
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah has blamed the “Israeli enemy” for the targeted attacks on pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon and had “crossed all the red lines” with the action.
In a speech delivered on Thursday he claimed Israel had attempted to kill 5000 people during two rounds of attacks this week in what he claimed could be a “declaration of war.”
The terror group chief admitted Hezbollah has been dealt a “very hard” blow, describing the attacks as “unprecedented” in Lebanon.
Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the attacks on Tuedsay and Wednesday.
Meanwhile Israel will face “a crushing response from the axis of resistance”, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Cmdr Hossein Salami told the head of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, Reuters is reporting, citing Iranian state media.
On Tuesday’s pager explosions he said Israel wanted to “kill 4,000 people in one moment”.
“This was the intention of the enemy, and this is the scale of criminality,” added Nasrallah.
He said committees were being formed to investigate what happened in relation to the attacks.
Up to 37 people were killed in the attacks, and up to 3000 injured, many of whom were members of Hezbollah.
But two children were also killed.
But Nasrallah also noted how Hezbollah had left thousands of Israelis having to flee their homes in the north of Israel, and had continued to disrupt lives with regular missile strikes.
As he spoke, Israeli jets flew overhead in Beirut and the IDF confirmed it had begun striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
The IDF has diverted troops and resources to Israel’s northern border in a “new phase of war”, said Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday.
Speaking at the Ramat David Airbase near Haifa, he said that the “centre of gravity” had shifted to the north amid rising tensions with Hezbollah, Iran’s regional terrorist proxies.
“The center of gravity is moving north. We are diverting forces, resources, and energy toward the north,” he said in remarks released by his office.
Later Reuters reported that Israel will face “a crushing response from the axis of resistance”, according to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Cmdr Hossein Salami.
He reportedly told the head of HezbollahHassan Nasrallah of the planned response, Reuters reported.
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