Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech on Thursday that the coordinated attack attributed to Israel was the most severe and unprecedented blow in the history of the conflict. "This is a declaration of war," he said. "We know the enemy has technological superiority especially supported by the U.S. and the West. We bet on Jihad, attrition. We've won many times before."
During the terror group's leader's televised speech, the first he has made since the coordinated explosions of Hezbollah's communication devices on Tuesday and Wednesday, Lebanese media reported Israeli fighter jets flying over Beirut, breaking the sound barrier. Earlier media outlets reported jets over the Beqaa Valley and areas in the South.
Nasrallah said Israel broke all rules in the coordinated explosions of the group's communications devices on Tuesday and Wednesday. He said the Israelis did not care if the pagers were among civilians, claiming dozens were killed including women and children and thousands wounded. "This is an act of terror, a massacre, a genocide," he said. The terrorist leader also thanked Lebanon's government, Iran and health officials for their actions in the wake of the explosions.
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Funeral of Hezbollah members killed in a coordinated explosion of pagers on Tuesday
(Photo: Emilie Madi / Reuters)
He said Israel had intended to kill thousands in its coordinated attack on the terror group's communication devices but had failed. He also claimed that the pagers and communication devices that detonated, were not used by senior members of the Iran-backed group. "The enemy tried to destroy Hezbollah's command structure and hurt its leaders and cause chaos in our organization but that has not happened. We are prepared for all eventualities," he said.
Nasrallah said Israel had admitted to losing its north and that forced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant to find a solution after Israel's first historic defeat that is testimony to the effectiveness of Hezbollah's attacks.
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Beirut residents watch Hezbollah leader speak in a televised address on Thursday
(Photo: Anwar Amro / AFP)
"Israel has been trying from day one to stop the Lebanese support for Gaza," he said adding the conflict on the border is an important player in the Palestinian resistance's efforts to end the attacks in Gaza.
"The Lebanese front would not stop until Israeli aggression in Gaza ends," he said.
Nasrallah addressed Netanyahu and Gallant directly in his speech and said they will not be able to return the residents of Israel's north to their homes unless they end the war in Gaza and the West Bank. "No military escalation, no targeted assassinations, no killing or full-blown war, will bring them back," he said.
Israeli fighter jets in the sky over Lebanon
Nasrallah ended his speech by saying the terror group's response is known and guarded by only a small group of people and he will not reveal its time, place, or character." "We hope to keep positivity among the people of Lebanon. Netanyahu, Gallant Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are leading Israel into the abyss, and to the third destruction."
Shortly before the Iran-backed Hezbollah leader began speaking, the IDF in an unusual move, announced it was conducting strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.