Hezbollah Director General Hassan Nasrallah spoke out on Thursday for the first time about the pager and communication device explosions that killed and wounded thousands of terrorists in Lebanon.
As Nasrallah spoke the IDF struck various targets in Lebanon and fighter jets were reported flying over Beirut.
Nasrallah opened by thanking the various authorities who tended to those wounded in the explosions. "I thank the Lebanese government, the Health Ministry, the hospitals, medical centers, the civil defense, the Islamic Health Authority, the doctors, and patients. The doctors worked day and night. I thank all those who donated blood. I thank all those who evacuated the wounded.
"Israel crossed all the red lines by detonating thousands of pagers. This could be called a declaration of war," Nasrallah stated. He added that "the devices exploded in unison, in the hospitals as well. As a result of the aggression, dozens were killed, including women and children, and thousands were injured. The true numbers will come with time. This is an act of terror, massacre, genocide. More than 4,000 pagers were distributed to the organization's operatives.
"We undoubtedly suffered a major security and humanitarian blow, unprecedented in the history of man and maybe in the history of the conflict. We were hit hard, but that's the situation in war. We understand that the enemy has technological supremacy. Especially since it is supported by the US and the West. When we are in conflict we bet on Jihad, on attrition. We had many victories until now."
With this, he insisted: "The heavy blow that we suffered won't knock us down. From experience, we will become stronger, smarter, and more determined. We will be ready to overcome all of the threats and attempts in the future."
He tied the end of the war to the situation in Gaza: "We tell Netanyahu, Gallant, and the Israeli military - you won't succeed in returning the residents of the north to the north, do what you want, you won't succeed. The only way is to stop the aggression and the war against the people of Gaza and the West Bank, without that there's nothing. Not an escalation, not eliminations, and not a full war."
Nasrallah added: "This idiot, the commander of the Northern Command, recommends that they create a security zone in Lebanese territory - that's what we want. They built many fortifications and we are searching for them, we need a daily intelligence effort, but they'll come to us - ahalan wasahalan (welcome). What they see as a threat, we see as an opportunity, it will have a great impact on the war.
"If you think that now that if you enter a security zone the combat will stay there, you're mistaken. We will continue to expand the attack in the north, the security zone will become a trap, an ambush, and hell if you decide to come to our land," he concluded.