‘This could be war’: Hezbollah chief breaks silence as Israel bombs Lebanon
Sonic booms from low-flying Israeli jets shook Beirut as Hezbollah’s chief broke his silence, saying exploding devices crossed ‘all red lines’ and could be ‘called a declaration of war’.
Israel bombed southern Lebanon and low-flying jets buzzed Beirut as Hezbollah’s leader said exploding pagers and radios “could be called a declaration of war”.
Speaking for the first time since the wireless explosions, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah dared Israel to invade Lebanon and said the attacks - targeting 5,000 devices - “crossed all the red lines”.
Buildings in Beirut shook as the speech was interrupted by sonic booms, with Sky News reporter John Sparks ducking for cover during a live broadcast, saying "screams of shock" could be heard as warplanes overhead broke the sound barrier.
It comes as two Israeli soldiers were killed on the Lebanon border shortly after the Israeli Defence Force announced that battle plans were approved for a new northern front.
While the original plan was to detonate the Hezbollah devices ahead of a larger operation, IDF sources told The Jerusalem Post there were no imminent plans for a major operation or ground invasion of Lebanon.
Almost 40 Hezbollah terrorists have been killed since the elaborate plot to booby-trap the group’s communications devices came to a head two days ago.
Nasrallah said 37 were killed and thousands were injured in the “unprecedented blow” for Hezbollah, adding that 4,000 pagers exploded on the first day of attacks and 1,000 walkie-talkies exploded the next.
Iran, whose ambassador to Lebanon was injured in the attacks, said Israel will face “a crushing response from the axis of resistance”,
French President Emmanual Macron spoke to Lebanese leaders and urged restraint ahead of plans to call Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant says that there are “significant opportunities, but also heavy risks” as Israel enters a new phase of the war.
“Hezbollah is feeling chased and the sequence of our military operations will continue,” he said.
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Originally published as ‘This could be war’: Hezbollah chief breaks silence as Israel bombs Lebanon