Key Points
- Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah made a televised address after thousands of hand-held devices exploded in Lebanon.
- He blamed Israel for the attacks, which he said had “crossed all red lines”.
- Israel has not directly commented on the attacks.
Deadly Israeli attacks that blew up Hezbollah walkie-talkies and pagers crossed all red lines, the leader of the militant organisation has said in a speech broadcast as sonic booms from Israeli warplanes shook buildings in Beirut.
Lebanon and Hezbollah have blamed Israel for attacks on Hezbollah’s communications equipment that killed 37 people and wounded about 3000, overwhelming Lebanese hospitals and wreaking bloody havoc on the militant group.
Israel has not directly commented on the attacks.
“There is no doubt that we have been subjected to a major security and military blow that is unprecedented in the history of the resistance and unprecedented in the history of Lebanon,” Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in his TV address, filmed at an undisclosed location.
“This type of killing, targeting and crime may be unprecedented in the world,” he said, appearing in front of a featureless red background in his customary black turban.
He said the attacks “crossed all red lines”.
“The enemy went beyond all controls, laws and morals.”
Nasrallah said the attacks “could be considered war crimes or a declaration of war, they could be called anything, and they deserve to be called anything”.
“Of course, that was the intention of the enemy.”
Israel bombs southern Lebanon
As the broadcast aired, deafening sonic booms from Israeli warplanes shook Beirut — a sound that has become common in recent months but has taken on a greater significance as the threat of all-out war has steadily ramped up.
Israel said its warplanes struck southern Lebanon overnight, with radio stations reporting dozens of fighter jets struck Hezbollah targets, including around 100 rocket launchers.
Security sources told Reuters they were some of the most intense bombings since October.
Hezbollah reported that airstrikes resumed in the border area in the afternoon.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah addressed the public in response to a major attack attributed to Israel, which involved the detonation of wireless devices targeting members of the militant group. Source: ABACA / Basili Sandro/PA
Nasrallah said Hezbollah hoped Israeli troops would enter southern Lebanon because that would create a “historic opportunity” for the Iran-backed group.
No military escalation, killing, assassinations or all-out war would return Israeli residents to the border area, he said, referring to a top war priority for the Israeli government.
Whilst Nasrallah described the attacks as unprecedented, accusing Israel of trying to kill 5,000 people, he also played down the effect on Hezbollah, saying the group’s structure had not been shaken.
“Yes, we received a big and harsh blow, but this is also the nature of war,” he said.
“We know that our enemy has superiority on the technological level and we have never said otherwise.”
Nasrallah said thousands of pagers had been targeted simultaneously, with some of the explosions happening in hospitals, pharmacies, markets, shops and streets busy with civilians, women and children.
“With this operation, the enemy violated all laws and red lines,” he said.
Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on the day after the October 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas which triggered the Gaza war, and since then constant exchanges of fire have occurred.
Explosives put in devices before they arrived in Lebanon, UN mission says
A preliminary investigation by Lebanese authorities found the hand-held devices were implanted with explosives before arriving in the country, according to a letter sent to the United Nations Security Council by Lebanon’s mission to the UN.
The authorities also determined the devices, which included pagers and hand-held radios, were detonated by sending electronic messages to the devices, says the letter, seen by Reuters on Thursday.
Israel was responsible for the planning and execution of the attacks, Lebanon’s UN mission said.
The 15-member Security Council is due to meet on Friday over the blasts.
-Additional reporting by Reuters
