Naharnet

Nasrallah Says Response to Israel Not Limited to Shebaa Farms, Denies Presence of Missile Factories

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Saturday his movement's response to a recent Israeli drone attack on the group's southern Beirut subrubs stronghold had been "decided."

"The need for a response is decided," he said during a televised speech marking the beginning of Ashoura commemorations, adding it was about "establishing the rules of engagement and... the logic of protection for the country."

Israel "must pay a price," he said.

Sunday's attack in Lebanon came just hours after Israel launched strikes in neighboring Syria to prevent what it said was an impending Iranian drone attack on Israeli territory.

Hizbullah said two of its fighters were killed in those strikes and Nasrallah vowed retaliation.

In his Saturday speech, Nasrallah vowed to retaliate "at all costs" and target Israeli drones, which often operate in Lebanese airspace.

"The response will be open... from Lebanon," he said, "in the Shebaa Farms or anywhere on the border."

The timing and scale of Hezbollah's response, he added, was in the hands of field commanders.

In 2015 and 2016, Hizbullah targeted Israeli military vehicles in the disputed Shebaa Farms area along the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire line in revenge for Israeli strikes on its fighters in Syria. 

In a rare incident on Wednesday, the Lebanese Army opened fire on Israeli drones that had violated Lebanon's southern airspace, forcing the aircraft to return back across the border.

Netanyahu had on Tuesday warned Nasrallah to "be careful" with his words and actions.

Nasrallah meanwhile categorically denied in his Saturday speech Israeli claims about his group having factories to produce precision-guided missiles in Lebanon, saying such "lies" were an attempt to justify Israeli attacks against the country.

Nasrallah said his group possessed precision-guided missiles but not the factories to produce them.

"We do not have factories to produce precision-guided missiles in Lebanon," he said.

Israeli media reported early this week that the Israeli drones had targeted a facility housing a "planetary mixer," a large industrial machine that is critical to making missiles.

Israel's prime minister accused Iran and Hizbullah of racing to build a missile-production program in Lebanon, vowing to destroy the ambitious project and issuing a stern warning to his enemies to "be careful."

Nasrallah said Netanyahu was looking for pretexts to hit Lebanon. He said it is Hizbullah's "right" to have such factories, "but we have nothing of the sort."

Source: Agence France Presse, Associated Press, Naharnet


Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/264333