Hezbollah vows to ‘uniquely punish’ Israel after second wave of booby traps

Hezbollah has vowed Israel will be “uniquely punished” after a second wave of explosive booby fire traps struck the terror group across Lebanon.

“Revenge is inevitable,” a senior Hezbollah official said after at least 20 people were killed and 450 more injured in Wednesday’s attack, which saw walkie-talkies explode across Beirut and throughout the country.

“We will confront the enemy with a new approach so that they know we are a people who will not retreat,” said Seyed Hashem Safiuddin, without providing any details. “The resistance tells Netanyahu that we are present and our capabilities remain unharmed,” he added.

It comes after Israel said it was preparing to enter a “new phase of war” which involves a greater focus on the north near its border with Lebanon.

Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, said the military’s “resources and forces” are being diverted away from Gaza to the north.

“We are at the onset of a new phase in the war, it requires courage, determination and perseverance from us,” Mr Gallant said without referencing the two consecutive days of handheld devices exploding across Lebanon.

Wednesday’s wave of explosions followed a similar attack on Tuesday which saw pagers explode across the country, killing at least 12 people and injuring thousands more.

Israel is yet to comment on allegations that it is behind the attacks.

The country’s military did, however, say that Israeli fighter jets struck several buildings in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.

The IDF said the airstrikes targeted a rocket launcher and other buildings used by Hezbollah.

More than 40 rockets were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel, the IDF added.

Source » telegraph.co.uk