Today, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah spoke out for the first time about the explosions of communications devices that have killed and injured thousands of militants in Lebanon. As Nasrallah was making his speech, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck several targets in Lebanese territory, and Jerusalem fighter jets flew over Beirut. Nasrallah began by expressing gratitude to the various authorities who helped the wounded: “I want to thank the Lebanese government, the Ministry of Health, the hospitals, the health centers, the civil defense, the Islamic Health Authority, the doctors and the patients. The doctors worked tirelessly day and night. Thanks to all those who donated blood and those who evacuated the wounded,” he said. He then attacked Israel: “Israel violated all the red lines by blowing up thousands of communications devices. This could be considered a real act of war because the devices exploded simultaneously, even inside hospitals. Because of this aggression, dozens of people, including women and children, were killed and thousands injured. The exact numbers will be known later. This is terrorism, a massacre, a genocide.”
Hassan Nasrallah appeared very humble, he admitted the defeat even if he reiterated Hezbollah’s will to continue what is in fact a conflict that began on October 8, 2023: “We have certainly suffered a significant blow, both in human and security terms, something unprecedented in the history of the conflict. We have been hit hard, but in war these things happen. We know that our enemy has a technological advantage, supported by the United States and the West. But when we are at war, we focus on Jihad and friction. So far we have achieved many victories”. Then the head of the “party of God” said he was convinced that his organization will recover: “The blow we have suffered will not stop us. We will learn from this experience, becoming stronger, more intelligent and more determined. We will be ready to face any future threat and attempt” but in Lebanon no one is under any illusion that this could happen given the situation and Israeli superiority.
Nasrallah then spoke about the end of the conflict, addressing the Israeli prime minister directly: “I say to Netanyahu, Gallant and the Israeli army: you will not be able to return the people of the north to their homes. Do what you want, but you will not succeed. The only way to stop all this is to stop the aggression and the war against the people of Gaza and the West Bank. Without this, there will be no truce, no escalation, no eliminations or an all-out war.” While the Hezbollah chief gave his speech, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a briefing “on the various possible developments of the campaign against Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border and the goal of ensuring the safe return of northern Israeli communities to their homes.” The briefing was attended by the IDF Chief of Staff, the Director General of the Ministry of Defense, the Deputy Chief of Staff, the Head of the Operations Directorate, the Head of the Intelligence Directorate, the Head of the Strategic Directorate, the Head of the Political Bureau, the Head of the Research Division, the Deputy Director of the ISA, and senior Mossad officials. “We have held a number of important discussions in recent days. In the new phase of the war, there are significant opportunities but also significant risks. Hezbollah feels persecuted and the sequence of military actions will continue,” he noted. The minister concluded: “Our goal is to ensure the safe return of northern Israeli communities to their homes. As time goes by, Hezbollah will pay an increasingly higher price and at the same time, we will continue our efforts to secure the return of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and to dismantle the Hamas terrorist organization,” Gallant said.
@reproduction reserved
