Hezbollah leader vows retaliation against Israel for sabotage attacks | News, Sports, Jobs

Hezbollah and Israel launched new attacks across the border, with Hassan Nasrallah speaking out for the first time since the massive bombing of Lebanon and Syria, which he described as “a serious blow” — and for which he promised revenge.

Two days of attacks on thousands of Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies were widely attributed to Israel, heightening fears that 11 months of near-daily exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel would escalate into all-out war. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the attacks.

Hezbollah struck at least four times in northern Israel during Nasrallah’s speech, and two Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack earlier in the day. Israeli warplanes flew low over Beirut as Nasrallah spoke and broke the sound barrier, scattering birds and forcing people in homes and offices to quickly open windows to prevent them from shattering.

Israel also launched attacks in southern Lebanon on Thursday, saying it hit hundreds of rocket launchers and other Hezbollah infrastructure, though it was not immediately clear if there were any casualties. The army said the launchers were intended to be used “in the near future.”

At the same time, the army issued orders to residents of some parts of the Golan Heights and northern Israel to avoid public gatherings, restrict their movement and stay near shelters in case of possible rocket fire.

In recent weeks, Israeli leaders have stepped up warnings of a potential larger military operation against Hezbollah, saying they are determined to halt the group’s shelling so that tens of thousands of Israelis can return to their homes near the border.

During a briefing on Thursday, the Israeli Defense Minister said that Hezbollah “paying an increasingly higher price” as Israel seeks to create conditions near the Lebanese border that are safe enough for residents to return.

“The sequence of our military actions will continue” he said.

The electronics attack appeared to be the culmination of a months-long Israeli operation to hit as many Hezbollah members as possible at once — but civilians were also hit. At least 37 people were killed, including two children, and about 3,000 were wounded in the explosions on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Nasrallah said the group was investigating how the bombings were carried out.

“Yes, we have been hit hard and hard” he said. “The enemy has crossed all boundaries and red lines” he said. Pointing to the number of pagers and walkie-talkies, he accused Israel of intending to kill thousands of people at once. “The enemy will meet with severe and just punishment, from where he expects and from where he does not expect.”

He said Hezbollah would continue to shell northern Israel as long as the war in Gaza continued, ensuring that Israel would not be able to bring its men back to the border region. “The only way is to stop the aggression against the people of Gaza and the West Bank” he said. “Neither strikes, nor attacks, nor total war will achieve this.”

Earlier on Thursday, Hezbollah said it had attacked three Israeli military positions near the border, two of them with drones. Israeli hospitals reported eight people with light or moderate injuries.

Hezbollah says its near-daily shelling is an expression of support for Hamas. Israel’s 11-month war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip began after the militants launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

Israel responded to Hezbollah’s attacks with airstrikes in southern Lebanon and targeted senior figures in the group’s capital, Beirut. The exchanges left hundreds dead in Lebanon and dozens in Israel, and forced tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the border to evacuate.

Israel and Hezbollah have repeatedly withdrawn from all-out war under intense pressure from the United States, France and other countries.

However, in their latest warnings, Israeli leaders said they were determined to radically change the status quo.

Speaking to Israeli soldiers on Wednesday, Gallant said: “We are at the beginning of a new phase of war — it requires courage, determination and perseverance.” He did not mention the explosives but praised the work of the Israeli army and security agencies, saying: “the results are truly impressive.”

He said that after months of fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip, “the center of gravity is shifting north through redirection of resources and forces.”

Israel began moving more troops to its border with Lebanon on Wednesday as a precaution, Israeli officials said. Israel’s army chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said plans were being drawn up for additional actions against Hezbollah, although media reports said the government had not yet decided whether to launch a major offensive in Lebanon.

Lebanon is still recovering from the deadly attacks that occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The explosions have shocked worried Lebanese who fear a full-scale war. The Lebanese army said it was locating and detonating suspicious pagers and communication devices, while the country’s civil aviation authority banned the use of pagers and walkie-talkies on all flights departing from Beirut International Airport until further notice.

The attack would likely severely disrupt internal Hezbollah communications as it struggles to find secure ways to communicate with each other. Hezbollah announced the deaths of five fighters on Thursday, but did not specify whether they died in the explosions or on the front lines.

Explosions occurred wherever pagers and walkie-talkies were present in various parts of Beirut and eastern and southern Lebanon — in homes and cars, grocery stores and cafes, on the streets, and even at funerals of those killed in the attacks, often with family and other witnesses nearby.

Many suffered massive wounds to their legs, stomachs and faces, or were lacerated in the hands. Tuesday’s pager blasts killed 12 people, including two children, and injured about 2,300 others. An explosion the next day killed 25 people and injured more than 600, Health Minister Firas Abiad said, giving an updated figure.

Abiad told reporters that the injuries on Wednesday were more serious than the previous day because the radios that exploded were larger than pagers. He praised Lebanese hospitals, saying they had managed to cope with the wave of wounded within hours. “It was a disorderly attack. It was a war crime” he said.