Journalists covering a press event given by Hezbollah's chief spokesperson Mohammad Afif on Tuesday quickly gathered their equipment and left after an Israeli warning of an imminent attack on the Dahieh in Beirut.
Afif was still speaking as television crews collected their microphones and camera gear in response to the IDF's Arabic language spokesperson, Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee's warning that identified two nearby buildings as the targets of the IDF attack. Afif insisted the journalists were not leaving because of the IDF warning. "the attack doesn't scare them," he said.
Reporters fleeing Mohammad Afif's press conference
Moments later, images from the attack began to emerge including of a building collapsing and plums of smoke rising from another.
Before the rapid exit of the press corps, Afif accused the U.S. of complicity in the aggressions against Lebanon. "The arrival of its envoy [Amos Hochstein, in Beirut] doesn't change our view that the U.S. is the mother of terrorism. We renew our trust in the Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and affirm that there will be no negotiations under fire."
Building collapses in IDF strike on the Dahieh on Tuesday
He added that Israel had no justification for attacking branches of the Qard Al-Hassan Association, referred to as "Hezbollah's bank." "The goal is to undermine the Lebanese people's trust. Hezbollah doesn't receive its salaries or fund its arms from this institution. Qard Al-Hassan was prepared for this day and will fulfill its obligations to those who have entrusted it with their money," he said.
"The enemy is responsible for ensuring the safety of the hostages and we call on the International Red Cross to guarantee this. What's extracted from the prisoners under pressure is worthless. It won't be long before we have enemy captives and we'll negotiate over them," he added before he too hurried to leave amid the warnings.
"The resistance and the command and coordination system are intact and the pace of operations is increasing," he said before declaring that Hezbollah "takes full and exclusive responsibility" for launching a drone toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Caesarea.
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