Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah spoke from Beirut on Thursday, addressing recent explosions targeting communication devices of terrorists in Lebanon. The operation resulted in 37 fatalities and thousands of injuries among the terror group's members. Hezbollah accused Israel of the attacks.
Nasrallah sent condolences to the families of the dead and wished recovery to the injured. He thanked the Lebanese government and medical staff for treating the victims, and praised blood donors for what he called "the largest blood donation drive in Lebanon's history."
"This operation is a major act of terror and a massacre that amounts to a declaration of war," Nasrallah claimed. He announced that Hezbollah has set up an internal investigation committee to examine the incident.
Video: The scene of one of the explosions in Lebanon
The Hezbollah chief mentioned assistance from Syria and pro-Iranian allies. He admitted that many of the wounded suffered eye injuries, with over 500 people affected and 300 cases resulting in complete loss of vision.
Nasrallah declared that the communication device explosions had crossed all boundaries and "all red lines." He alleged, "The blasts occurred in hospitals and residential areas," claiming they affected both civilians and Hezbollah members.
According to Nasrallah, 4,000 devices were activated in one minute, baselessly accusing Israel of intending to kill 4,000 people at once. He further alleged, "In one minute on Tuesday, and in one minute on Wednesday, Israel wanted to kill 5,000 people."
Nasrallah admitted the operation was a significant blow to his organization: "There is no doubt that we were subjected to a major security and humanitarian blow, unprecedented in the history of the resistance in Lebanon.
"We know that the enemy has technological superiority and support from the US and NATO. Tuesday and Wednesday were difficult days for us. It's a big blow, but it didn't knock us down and won't knock us down.
"The enemy admitted that it lost the north. This forced Netanyahu and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to provide a solution to this front, which is considered one of the most important attrition fronts. Our front is one of the most important negotiating cards that the Palestinian resistance has to stop the aggression in Gaza."
Nasrallah revealed, "We received official and unofficial threats of further strikes if we do not agree to a ceasefire. We cannot surrender to these threats or stop supporting Gaza. We tell Netanyahu and Gallant, to the army, the Lebanon front will not stop before the aggression on Gaza stops. For 11 months I've been saying these things, even after all the recent casualties. The resistance in Lebanon will not stop supporting and assisting the people of Gaza and the West Bank."
The terror chief referred to an Israel Hayom publication, which revealed that IDF Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin suggested establishing a buffer zone between Israel and Lebanon. "The commander of the Northern Command suggested entering the frontier villages on the ground and establishing a security zone. We hope they will enter by land because currently they are hiding in sites and with great effort we are finding them. But if they enter – welcome. This is a historic opportunity and we are hoping for it," Nasrallah said.
Earlier, Arab media reported that the brother of a senior Hezbollah official was arrested for questioning. According to the report, Hezbollah is investigating the intelligence breach that allowed infiltration of pagers and communication devices.
