TEHRAN: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Thursday warned Israel that it will face a “crushing response from the resistance front” after thousands of communication devices used by Hezbollah in Lebanon simultaneously exploded.
Israel has not commented on the attacks that killed at least 37 people and injured nearly 3,000 over two days but has said it will extend the scope of its military campaign in Gaza to include the Lebanon front.
“Such terrorist acts, that are undoubtedly due to the desperation and successive failures of the Zionist regime, will soon be met with a crushing response from the resistance front,” Guards commander General Hossein Salami said in a message to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, quoted by state media.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday warned that Israel will receive “just punishment” for the waves of communications device explosions in Lebanon.
In his first speech since the device blasts, Hassan Nasrallah said Israel will face “tough retribution and just punishment, where it expects it and where it does not.”
The blasts, which Hezbollah attributes to Israeli actions, struck amid escalating tensions in the region. Nasrallah described the incident as an “unprecedented” blow to his group, which has been engaged in ongoing conflicts with Israel. Nasrallah said that Hezbollah would retaliate against Israel, warning of “tough retribution”.
Labeling the explosions a “massacre” and a “war crime,” Nasrallah claimed that Israel intended to cause mass casualties, suggesting a desire to “kill no less than 5,000 people in two minutes.” He characterized the attacks as a possible “act of war”. He expressed Hezbollah’s readiness to escalate its military engagement.
In response to the device explosions, Nasrallah announced an internal investigation into the incident, as reports from experts and some Israeli media suggested involvement from Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad.
Nasrallah also reiterated Hezbollah’s commitment to continue fighting until a ceasefire in Gaza is established, stating, “The Lebanese front will not stop until Israeli aggression on Gaza stops,” amid the ongoing violence and bloodshed.
During his speech, Nasrallah addressed Israeli officials’ claims that displaced Israelis could return to their homes, asserting, “You will not be able to return the people of the north to the north.” He said that the only way to facilitate the return of displaced residents would be to halt the violence in Gaza.
