Tensions in the Middle East are boiling over with a fuming rage as Israel and Hezbollah continue to strike each other with senior leaders of both sides warning each other over the attacks.
The Lebanese group leader Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday vowed to retaliate against Israel for the mass bombing of devices in Lebanon and Syria, describing them as a "severe blow". Despite Israel's deadly attacks, he promised to continue the daily strikes on Tel Aviv, adding that displaced Israelis near the Lebanon border will not be able to go home until the war on Gaza ends.
Hezbollah: 'Enemy Crossed All Red Lines, Will Face Severe Punishment'
Speaking for the first time since the pagers and walkie talkies explosion in Lebanon and Syria, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said that the group is investigating as to how the bombings were carried out.
Saying that the group took a severe blow with the bombings, adding that "the enemy crossed all boundaries and red lines." Nasrallah accused Israel of intending to kill thousands of people at one time while pointing at the number of pagers and walkie-talkies that detonated in the Middle East region.
In both the attacks combined, at least 37 people were killed and over 3,000 others were injured.
"The enemy will face a severe and fair punishment from where they expect and don't expect," Nasrallah said.
He noted that Hezbollah would not stop its aggression into northern Israel as long as the war on Gaza continues. "The only way is stop the aggression on the people of Gaza and the West Bank. Neither strikes, nor assassinations nor an all-out war will achieve that," the Hezbollah leader noted.
Hezbollah has since the beginning of the conflict between Hamas and Israel in October last year, said that it is daily strikes into the latter is a show of support for its ally -- Hamas.
Amid this, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged several rounds of fire and repeatedly pulled out of an all-out war under the pressure from the United States, France and other countries.
Strikes During Nasrallah's Address
While the Hezbollah leader vowed retaliation against Tel Aviv, the group struck at least four times in northern Israel with two Israeli soldiers being killed earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes also flew over Beirut as Nasrallah spoke and broke the sound barrier, with scattering birds prompting people in houses and offices to quickly open all the windows to prevent them from shattering.
Israeli strikes hit across southern Lebanon on Thursday, with its forces saying that it struck dozens of missile launchers and other Hezbollah infrastructure.
Israeli has stepped up its warnings of a potential larger military operation against the Lebanon-based group in the past weeks, saying that it is determined to stop Hezbollah's fire to allow several thousands Israelis to return to homes near the border.
Hezbollah Would 'Pay An Increasing Price': Israel
Israeli Defense minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday said that Hezbollah would "pay an increasing price" as Israel seeks to make conditions near its border with Lebanon safe enough for the residents to return. "The sequence of our military actions will continue," he said.
In the backdrop of the explosion of the pagers and walkie-talkies, Gallant told Israeli troops, "We are the start of a new phase in the war -- it requires courage, determination and perseverance." However, he did not make any mentions of the exploding electronic devises but praised Israel army and security agencies' work, saying that "the results are very impressive".
Following months of fighting Hamas in Gaza, Gallant said, "The centre of gravity is shifting to the north by diverting resources and forces".
Officials had said that more Israeli troops were being moved to its border with Lebanon as a safety precaution, with Israeli army chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi saying that plans have been made for additional action against Hezbollah. But, it was reported that the Benjamin Netanyahu-led government has not yet decided whether to launch a major offensive in Lebanon.
But with the rising attacks from both sides, fear of a full-scale war breaking out in the Middle East region with the already existing war on Gaza has raised the stakes for the people.
Israel Had Warned US Of Military Ops In Lebanon
US officials on Thursday said that Israel had warned US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on a call on Tuesday that a military operation was going to take place in Lebanon without giving any details.
The same day as the call, in an attack widely blamed on Israel, thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded.
Notably, the call between Austin and Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant was one of the four calls this week as attacks have increased between Israel and Hezbollah, fuelling a wider tension that could further escalate in the region.
The two spoke again later on Tuesday, where the US acknowledged that it was briefed after the attacks. A call was there on Wednesday, as well as on Sunday, officials who spoke on conditions of anonymity were cited by The Associated Press.
They said that Washington did not get any advance warning of the second attack, with the explosion of walkie-talkies on Wednesday. However, the officials pressed that the US did not play any role in the attacks, asserting that they were surprised by the specifics of the operations.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh acknowledged the calls between the US and Israel, saying that they spoke about the regional security developments and reiterated America's unwavering support for Israel in the face of threats from Iran, Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies in the region.
Austin had pressed on the "US commitment to deterring regional adversaries, deescalating tensions across the region, and reaffirmed the priority of reaching a ceasefire deal that would being home hostages held by Hamas".
Austin also pushed for a diplomatic solution that would allow civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes, Singh said.
However, Singh also noted that the Pentagon has not gotten a request from the State Department for a US military evacuation of American citizens in Lebanon. They have urged US citizens in the region to however maintain a low profile and review their security awareness in alerts this week.
"We have evacuation plans available for places all over the world. But I wouldn't lead that to believe that we're in a moment now where we need to imminently call for that or act on that right now," US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby had said earlier on Wednesday.
Pager And Walkie-Talkie Explosions
On Tuesday and Wednesday, thousands of pagers and walkie-talkie radios used by Hezbollah members detonated in Lebanon, killing at least 37 people and injuring some 3,000 others.
Hezbollah and several others have accused Israel of carrying out these explosions in a bid to disrupt the Lebanese groups internal communications and operations.
The detonation took place in several parts of Beirut and eastern and southern Lebanon, in homes, cars, grocery stores, cafes, and on the streets.
Tuesday's pager blasts had killed 12, including two children, and injured some 2,300 others, while Wednesday's walkie-talkies explosion claimed 23 lives, wounded over 600, Health Minister Firas Abiad told reporters.
Abiad had said that Wednesday's injuries were more severe as walkie-talkies that exploded were bigger in size than the pagers. He hailed Lebanese hospitals and said that they had managed to deal with the sea of wounded people within hours.
However, Abiad condemned the blasts and said, "It was an indiscriminate attack. It was a war crime."
