Alert – ‘Israel has crossed red lines… it is a massacre that deserves a response’: Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader vows revenge for pager attack as Iran warns of ‘a crushing response from the axis of resistance’

Hezbollah’s leader has condemned Israel after thousands of pagers and walkie talkies exploded over two days, saying ‘all red lines have been crossed by the enemy’ and that the deadly attacks ‘deserve a response’.

Sonic booms from Israeli jets were heard over Beirut at the same time as the group’s chief Hassan Nasrallah was making his speech, sparking terror across the Lebanese capital which has been on edge since the attacks began on Tuesday.

A huge booming sound was heard on live TV, with journalists on the ground reporting that the loud noise was followed by screams as panicked Lebanese residents brace for further escalation.

Lebanon, Hezbollah and its backer Iran have blamed Israel for the clandestine attacks that have killed 37 people and wounded around 3,000, overwhelming Lebanese hospitals and wreaking bloody havoc on Hezbollah. 

Israel has not directly commented on the attacks, which security sources say were probably carried out by its Mossad spy agency, with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant saying only that ‘the results are very impressive’.

As tensions reach boiling point, a top Iranian commander has reportedly promised Hezbollah, a proxy of Tehran, that their common arch-enemy Israel will face ‘a crushing response from the axis of resistance.’

Hassan Nasrallah spoke this afternoon in his first address since the clandestine attacks began on Tuesday

Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike hit the Tyre, in southern Lebanon

Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike hit the Tyre, in southern Lebanon, this afternoon

In his first address since the attacks began to wreak havoc across Lebanon on Tuesday, Nasrallah said more than 4,000 devices were detonated with the intention of killing thousands.

‘This could be called a declaration of war,’ Nasrallah told his followers. ‘We have received a very hard hit, but this is the state of war. Through this experience and its lessons we will be stronger and more powerful.’

Nasrallah said the explosions had ‘happened in hospitals, pharmacies, markets, shops, houses and in cars,’ as well as in the streets ‘where many civilians were along with women and children.’

‘This is the scale of criminality,’ he said. ‘What can we call this kind of criminal action – is it a big operation? Is it genocide? Is it a massacre?’ 

He said the death toll, which stands at 37 in total, could have been far higher, but that not all the pagers and radios had been handed out and not all fighters were with their communication devices when the blasts were triggered.

While high ranking officials, including Iran’s envoy to Beirut, are confirmed to have been wounded in the blasts, Nasrallah insisted that top Hezbollah members did not carry the model of pagers that exploded.

‘What happened did not impact our command, control or infrastructure’, he added, though he admitted that it had been a major security breach.

During Nasrallah’s lengthy three-part address, Israel announced that it was continuing airstrikes on Lebanon, with warning sirens ringing out in northern Israel indicating possible incoming fire.

In a statement, Israel’s defence forces said the army was ‘striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon to degrade Hezbollah’s terrorist capabilities and infrastructure.’

Thousands were injured when comms devices across Lebanon and Syria exploded on Tuesday and Wednesday

A car burns on the streets of Lebanon following an explosion

The attacks have seen scores of Hezbollah members severely injured throughout southern Lebanon and in its capital Beirut

Israel’s military evacuate injured people by helicopter after an anti-tank missile was fired into Israel from Lebanon, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, September 19, 2024

It added that it was part of efforts to return displaced Israelis to their homes in the north, months after tens of thousands of civilians were evacuated from the area amid ongoing cross-border fighting. 

In his speech today, Nasrallah vowed that the displaced Israelis ‘won’t be able to return’ to their homes. 

He said his group, which has been engaged in fighting with Israel for 11 months, would not stop until the Gaza war ends, despite the two days of deadly device explosions blamed on Israel.

‘The Lebanese front will not stop until the aggression on Gaza stops’ despite ‘all this blood spilt,’ he said.

He added that Hezbollah’s resolve was greater than ever, and that should Israel try to enter southern Lebanon, it would create a ‘historic opportunity’ for the terror group.

‘This will, no doubt, have dire consequences,’ he threatened.

A hand shows the destroyed pager or paging device that exploded on September 17

Shortly before 4pm, reports claimed Israeli fighter jets were carrying out mock air raids over Beirut and breaking the sound barrier.

This was the lowest jets have flown over Beirut since hostilities erupted in October 2023, The Guardian reports.

The Israeli military acknowledged that it was striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon shortly before Nasrallah’s speech, adding that Hezbollah had turned southern Lebanon into a warzone.

‘For decades, Hezbollah has weaponized civilian homes, dug tunnels beneath them, and used civilians as human shields,’ it said.

‘The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is operating to bring security to northern Israel in order to enable the return of residents to their homes, as well as to achieve all of the war goals,’ it said.

A separate military statement said that the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, had recently completed approval of plans for the northern arena.