In a televised speech on Thursday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah condemned Israeli attacks on the group’s communications equipment, which killed 37 people and injured around 3,000 in Lebanon. Nasrallah described the attacks, which Lebanon and Hezbollah attributed to Israel, as crossing “all red lines” and potentially qualifying as war crimes or a declaration of war.
The attacks, believed to have been carried out by Israel’s Mossad, targeted Hezbollah’s radios and pagers, creating widespread fear and leading many in Lebanon to abandon electronic devices over concerns they may carry hidden explosives. As Nasrallah’s address aired, Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes over southern Lebanon, with sonic booms shaking buildings in Beirut.
The Lebanese army responded by carrying out controlled blasts on suspicious telecom devices. Meanwhile, Lebanese authorities have banned walkie-talkies and pagers on flights from Beirut airport and prohibited their air shipment. The attacks have intensified the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which began after Hezbollah fired missiles into Israel following the October 7 Hamas attack. Though neither side has escalated into full-scale war, the conflict has led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from border areas.
Israel’s military accused Hezbollah of turning southern Lebanon into a “combat zone,” using civilian homes for military purposes and operating tunnels. In response, Israel’s airstrikes continue in southern Lebanon with the stated aim of ensuring the safety of northern Israel and achieving its war objectives.
