Hezbollah is ready and waiting for the IDF to invade its territory, leader Hassan Nasrallah dared Israel in a speech broadcast on Thursday.
“Israel’s foolish Northern Command leader talks about a security zone inside Lebanese territory – we are waiting for you to enter Lebanese territory,” he said. “We are waiting for your tanks, and we will see this as a historic opportunity.”
His speech was originally planned to go live on Wednesday but the live-stream was cut off by a second string of exploding devices in 24 hours.
Nasrallah said he was in touch with Israel about the attacks that took place on Tuesday and Wednesday. He noted that he knew there would be another round of explosions on Wednesday after the first round.
“On Tuesday, I received messages from Israel to stop the attacks. Otherwise, there would be another strike on Wednesday.”
Multiple sources indicated that despite the operational success of the attacks, there is no imminent plan for the IDF to undertake a new major operation against Hezbollah, let alone a large ground invasion.
Various sources said the original plan was to only employ the mass device sabotage in the event of a simultaneous larger operation.
But now that the sabotage happened (and was possibly forced to be used prematurely as Hezbollah started to discover the potential sabotage), sources indicated that the IDF is under instructions from the cabinet to wait and see what Hezbollah will do next before making a major move.If Hezbollah starts to move pieces for a significant strike of its own, as it did on August 25, there are indications that the military would preempt such a threat as it did then, possibly on a larger scale.
Despite this, sources implied that the IDF and government are still concerned about the vast inventory of Hezbollah rockets (150,000 pre-war) and the possibility of a wider regional war with Iran and its other proxies.
This also seems to be the reason that Israel still has yet to respond to the ballistic missile that Yemen’s Houthis fired on Israel on Sunday. Despite the fact that when Yemen struck Tel Aviv in July, the IDF responded by destroying parts of Yemen’s crucial port of Hodeidah within 48 hours to deter the Houthis from further adventurism.
With the IDF’s attention officially primarily having shifted to the North and Hezbollah, sources noted that the military’s activities in Gaza are now limited to occasionally targeted killings of medium-level commanders, destroying Hamas infrastructure, and trying to set traps for Hamas terrorists who might come out of hiding.
The IDF was unable to provide any cogent answer to the question of how these activities will in any way advance the goal of compelling Hamas to release the 101 remaining living hostages, given that greater force already used throughout Gaza has not done so.
On October 7, around 120,000 Israelis were evacuated from the North. One of the messages that Israeli leaders have emphasized over the last few days has been that the goal of returning them was a top priority. Nasrallah addressed these civilians in his speech: “Can you return the displaced to the North? We accept this challenge, and you will not be able to return them and do whatever you want. The only way to return the displaced to the North is to stop the aggression on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.”
Expressing gratitude
Nasrallah opened his speech by thanking Lebanese authorities for their resourcefulness in light of the attacks.
“What has happened over the past two days deserves recognition and a firm response. There are many eye injuries, and hospitals are under pressure as they work tirelessly,” he said.
Nasrallah also expressed gratitude to Iran, Iraq, and Syria for their medical support. He went on to accuse Israel, stating, “The Israeli enemy has violated all laws, regulations, and redlines. Numerous bombings targeted hospitals, markets, public roads, homes, and other areas heavily populated by civilians.”
The World Health Organization said on Thursday that the explosions in Lebanon seriously disrupted the country’s fragile health sector.
The UN health agency cited Lebanese health authorities’ toll that 37 people had been killed and more than 3,000 wounded in the pager blasts that detonated in areas considered strongholds of Hezbollah.
“These events have seriously disrupted Lebanon’s already fragile health system,” WHO Director-General Tedros
Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference, adding that the global body had distributed blood supplies and trauma kits in the country.
“The whole health system came under immense pressure very, very quickly,” said WHO emergencies chief Mike Ryan at the same briefing.
WHO’s representative in Lebanon Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar said 100 hospitals were involved in the response. A series of drills ahead of the attacks and the stockpiling of emergency supplies helped prepare doctors and nurses in advance and limited the casualties, he said.
He added that the casualty toll is expected to rise.
“Israel showed no regard for the fact that these beeper holders were in civilian areas or using civilian means,” he said.
'The attacks were massacres'
He called the attacks a “major terrorist operation,” adding, “We will define the events of Tuesday and Wednesday as massacres.” He said that Hezbollah has initiated “several internal investigation committees, explored all scenarios and possibilities, and have reached an almost final conclusion: these massacres amount to war crimes or a declaration of war.”
Nasrallah also vowed to punish Israel for the attacks, stating that the country would face “a crushing response from the axis of resistance. Tuesday and Wednesday were bloody days, but we will be able to overcome this ordeal, and this blow won’t bring us down,” he added.
Turkey said on Thursday that it is reviewing its measures to secure the communication devices used by its armed forces after the blasts in Lebanon.
The Turkish Defense Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Turkey’s military exclusively used domestically produced equipment but Ankara had additional control mechanisms in place if a third party is involved in procurement or production of devices.
“Whether in the operations we carry out, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and as with the Lebanon example, measures are reviewed and new measures are being developed as part of the lessons learned following each development,” the official said.
“In the context of this incident, we as the Defense Ministry are carrying out the necessary examinations,” the person added, without providing further detail.
The unprecedented attacks have prompted concerns over cybersecurity around the region.
Iraq’s national security council said on Wednesday it would take preventive measures against any possible breach from electronic imports, adding that intensive security checks will be implemented on imports along with stronger border checks.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Thursday told the state-owned Anadolu news agency that establishing an independent agency for cybersecurity specifically was on the government’s agenda after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced a necessity for it, and added it would be formed “very soon.”
Hadi Al Bahra, president of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, told Reuters in an interview in Istanbul on Thursday that the blasts in Lebanon had prompted some opposition forces in northern Syria to rethink the security of communication devices and supply chains.
“It’s a point of concern for them and they are reviewing their gear,” he said of the Syrian National Army, an opposition faction backed by Turkey which controls swathes of territory in northern Syria.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Thursday evening that Israel will keep up military action against Hezbollah, though the new phase of fighting does include significant risks.
“In the new phase of the war, there are significant opportunities but also significant risks. Hezbollah feels that it is being persecuted and the sequence of military actions will continue,” Gallant said.
“Our goal is to ensure the safe return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes. As time goes by, Hezbollah will pay an increasing price.”