Hezbollah’s Nasrallah: Israel Crossed “All Red Lines” with Device Explosions

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Sept. 19 (UPI) — Hezbollah’s leader, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, accused Israel of crossing “all the red lines” following a devastating attack involving the detonation of thousands of communication devices used by his group. He claimed the intention behind the operation was to eliminate around 5,000 Hezbollah members within a mere two minutes.

Describing the assault as a “big, unprecedented and harsh security strike,” Nasrallah addressed the situation in a televised speech. The attacks, which occurred over Tuesday and Wednesday, specifically targeted pagers and walkie-talkies recently distributed to numerous Hezbollah members. This assault appears aimed at pressuring Lebanon and Hezbollah to halt their activities along the southern border, seeking to facilitate the return of approximately 80,000 displaced settlers to northern Israel.

“The Lebanese front will not stop until the aggression against Gaza ends,” Nasrallah promised, as Israeli warplanes flew low over Beirut, breaking the sound barrier.

According to an updated report from Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abid on Thursday, the explosion incidents resulted in 35 fatalities, including two children, with nearly 3,000 individuals wounded across various Lebanese regions. Many of the injuries occurred in Hezbollah’s stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut and also spread to southern and eastern Lebanon.

Hezbollah indicated that the majority of the injured were members of the group active in its different units and institutions. The unprecedented attacks commenced on Tuesday when thousands of pagers detonated throughout Lebanon, marking a significant security challenge for the militant organization. Initial explosions killed 12 people, including the two children, and left 2,323 individuals wounded, with injuries primarily sustained to the eyes, hands, and waist.

A second wave of explosions on Wednesday involved walkie-talkies, solar devices, and lithium batteries, leading to 25 more deaths and injuries to 608 others across the country.

“This is a major terrorist operation, a genocide, a massacre… a substantial aggression against Lebanon and its people, a war crime or declaration of war. Label it whatever you wish,” Nasrallah declared. He emphasized that Israel had “crossed all the laws and red lines,” intending to kill over 5,000 people in a short period by detonating the communication devices simultaneously over the two days.

He condemned the explosions, which occurred in hospitals, markets, and residential areas filled with civilians and children, as “immoral and inhumane.” Nasrallah noted that while the casualties were significant, the actual toll might rise as many individuals only suffered minor injuries due to some pagers being out of service or turned off at the time of the explosions.

Nasrallah reiterated that Hezbollah had faced an unparalleled security attack, acknowledging Israel’s advanced technology backed by the United States and NATO. However, he firmly stated that this assault would not diminish Hezbollah’s strength. He vowed, “This attack did not bring us down and will not; we will emerge even stronger.”

Regarding Israel’s objectives, he asserted that the aim was to halt ongoing conflicts along the southern border and suppress the Lebanese front opened on October 8 in support of Gaza. “We cannot yield… all the sacrifices throughout a year of bloody confrontations would be in vain,” he stated. Nasrallah directed a message to Israeli leaders, asserting that Hezbollah’s efforts would persist until Israeli aggression against Gaza ceased.

He refuted claims that the attack had damaged Hezbollah’s operational structure, confirming the readiness of his fighters to respond to any Israeli incursion. “You will not be able to return the settlers to northern Israel and do as you please,” he told Israeli commanders. “The only solution lies in halting the war on Gaza.”

He cautioned Israel against any ground operation in southern Lebanon designed to establish a security buffer zone, suggesting that such an action would turn into a precarious trap for them.

Nasrallah mentioned that Hezbollah has initiated several security committees to investigate the explosions, evaluating the manufacturing origins and distribution methods of the communication devices throughout Lebanon. “We have reached an almost certain result,” he said, though he refrained from divulging further specifics.

As reported by The New York Times, the operation against Hezbollah allegedly involved implanting small explosive materials adjacent to the batteries of approximately 3,000 pagers ordered by the group from a Taiwanese manufacturer.

Nasrallah vowed retribution against Israel for the attacks but decided to keep the details of such plans confidential for now, stating, “We will keep it to ourselves… in a small circle.”