26 September 2024

Explosive Pager, Walkie-Talkie Attacks Were ‘Severe Blow,’ Hezbollah Chief Says


Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah acknowledged Thursday that this week’s deadly explosive attacks in Lebanon on the militant group’s communications devices were a “severe blow,” while contending that Israel had crossed a “red line” in carrying out the operation.

The attacks killed at least 32 people and wounded an additional 3,000 as unsuspecting Hezbollah militants and others answered messages on their pagers and tried to carry on conversations on their walkie-talkies, only to have them explode in their hands.

The attacks, on Tuesday and Wednesday, were widely believed to be carried out by Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, although Israel has neither confirmed nor denied being involved.

“Yes, we were subjected to a huge and severe blow,” Nasrallah said. “The enemy crossed all boundaries and red lines.”

As usual, Nasrallah spoke by video from an undisclosed location. Iran-backed Hezbollah has typically convened a rally for supporters to watch his speeches on a big screen, but this time it did not.


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