Israeli FM Slams Nasrallah as 'Iranian Puppet'

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Sunday described Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as an “Iranian puppet,” hours after the Hizbullah leader reiterated that his group will retaliate against Israel over a deadly airstrike in Syria and a drone explosion over Beirut’s southern suburbs.

“Nasrallah is an Iranian puppet who has taken charge of the file of the Iranian attack that had been planned from Syria, and most probably he had not been aware of it,” Katz tweeted in Arabic.

“Meanwhile he is promoting to Lebanon’s residents tales about defending Lebanon. If he stays on this course, he will be remembered as someone who destroyed Lebanon,” the Israeli minister warned.

Last Sunday's drone attack in Beirut’s southern suburbs 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.