Hezbollah chief vows ‘real’ response to Israel after commander's death in Beirut

ISTANBUL

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah vowed a “real response” to an Israeli airstrike that killed group commander Fouad Shukr in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Tel Aviv blamed Shukr for Saturday’s missile attack that killed 12 people in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in Israel-occupied Golan Heights, although Hezbollah has denied any responsibility.

-“We are planning a real and well-calculated response, not merely a symbolic one.” Nasrallah said in a televised speech during Shukr’s funeral.

Shukr’s assassination was shortly followed by the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on early Wednesday, in an attack blamed on Israel. Tel Aviv has not yet confirmed or denied responsibility.

“The confrontation with Israel has evolved into a major open battle spanning multiple fronts, including Gaza, southern Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Iran,” Nasrallah said.

The Hezbollah leader accused Israel of assassinating Shukr by “targeting a residential building filled with women and children in southern Beirut.” He noted that among the casualties was an Iranian individual.

At least seven people, including two children, were killed in the Israeli airstrike on Tuesday, according to Lebanese health authorities.
“What happened in the southern suburb of Beirut was an act of aggression, not a reaction,” Nasrallah emphasized.

Describing the events in southern Beirut as part of the broader US-Israeli war on the region, Nasrallah stated, “The assassination of Shukr is a price we pay for supporting Gaza and the Palestinian people.”

“Hezbollah will resume its regular military operations against Israel on Friday, unrelated to the response to Shukr's assassination,” he added.

Responding to Israel’s accusation of targeting Majdal Shams, Nasrallah asserted that the group’s internal investigation confirmed Hezbollah did not carry out the attack.

“If we had done it, even by mistake, we would have announced it,” he said.

Fears have grown of a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah amid a months-long exchange of cross-border fire.

The escalation comes against the backdrop of an Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which has killed nearly 39,500 people since last October, following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.