Hezbollah Leader Vows Retaliation      09/20 06:06

   The leader of Hezbollah vowed Thursday to keep up daily strikes on Israel 
despite this week's deadly sabotage of its members' communication devices, and 
said Israelis displaced from homes near the Lebanon border because of the 
fighting would not be able to return until the war in Gaza ends.

   BEIRUT (AP) -- The leader of Hezbollah vowed Thursday to keep up daily 
strikes on Israel despite this week's deadly sabotage of its members' 
communication devices, and said Israelis displaced from homes near the Lebanon 
border because of the fighting would not be able to return until the war in 
Gaza ends.

   Hezbollah and Israel launched fresh attacks across the border as Hassan 
Nasrallah spoke for the first time since the mass bombing of devices in Lebanon 
and Syria that he described as a "severe blow" -- and for which he promised to 
retaliate.

   The two days of attacks targeting thousands of Hezbollah pagers and 
walkie-talkies have been widely blamed on Israel, heightening fears that 11 
months of near-daily exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel will 
escalate into all-out war. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement 
in the attacks.

   During Nasrallah's speech, Hezbollah struck at least four times in northern 
Israel, and two Israeli soldiers were killed in a strike earlier in the day. 
Israeli warplanes flew low over Beirut while Nasrallah spoke and broke the 
sound barrier, scattering birds and prompting people in houses and offices to 
quickly open windows to prevent them from shattering.

   Israel also launched attacks in southern Lebanon on Thursday, saying it 
struck hundreds of rocket launchers and other Hezbollah infrastructure, though 
it was not immediately clear if there were any casualties. The army claimed the 
launchers were about to be used "in the immediate future."

   At the same time, the army ordered residents in parts of the Golan Heights 
and northern Israel to avoid public gatherings, minimize movements and stay 
close to shelters in anticipation of possible rocket fire.

   In recent weeks, Israeli leaders have stepped-up warnings of a potential 
larger military operation against Hezbollah, saying they are determined to stop 
the group's fire to allow tens of thousands of Israelis to return to homes near 
the border.

   In a Thursday briefing, the Israeli defense minister said Hezbollah would 
"pay an increasing price" as Israel seeks to make conditions near its border 
with Lebanon safe enough for residents to return.

   "The sequence of our military actions will continue," he said.

   The attack on electronic devices appeared to be the culmination of a 
monthslong operation by Israel to target as many Hezbollah members as possible 
all at once -- but civilians were also hit. At least 37 people were killed, 
including two children, and some 3,000 wounded in the explosions Tuesday and 
Wednesday.

   Nasrallah said the group is investigating how the bombings were carried out.

   "Yes, we were subjected to a huge and severe blow," he said. "The enemy 
crossed all boundaries and red lines," he said. Pointing to the number of 
pagers and walkie-talkies, he accused Israel of intending to kill thousands of 
people at one time. "The enemy will face a severe and fair punishment from 
where they expect and don't expect."

   He said Hezbollah will continue its barrages into northern Israel as long as 
the war in Gaza continues, vowing that Israel will not be able to bring its 
people back to the border region. "The only way is stop the aggression on the 
people of Gaza and the West Bank," he said. "Neither strikes, nor 
assassinations nor an all-out war will achieve that."

   Earlier Thursday, Hezbollah said it had targeted three Israeli military 
positions near the border, two of them with drones. Israeli hospitals reported 
eight people lightly or moderately injured.

   Hezbollah says its near daily fire is a show of support for Hamas. Israel's 
11-month-old war with Hamas in Gaza began after its militants led the Oct. 7 
attack on Israel.

   Israel has responded to Hezbollah's attacks with strikes in southern 
Lebanon, and has struck senior figures from the group in the capital Beirut. 
The exchanges have killed hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and forced 
the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents on each side of the border.

   Israel and Hezbollah have repeatedly pulled back from an all-out war under 
heavy pressure from the United States, France and other countries.

   But in their recent warnings, Israeli leaders have said they are determined 
to change the status quo dramatically.

   Speaking to Israeli troops on Wednesday, Gallant said, "We are at the start 
of a new phase in the war -- it requires courage, determination and 
perseverance." He made no mention of the exploding devices but praised the work 
of Israel's army and security agencies, saying "the results are very 
impressive."

   He said that after months of fighting Hamas in Gaza, "the center of gravity 
is shifting to the north by diverting resources and forces."

   Israel began moving more troops to its border with Lebanon on Wednesday as a 
precautionary measure, Israeli officials said. Israel's army chief, Lt. Gen. 
Herzi Halevi, said plans have been drawn up for additional action against 
Hezbollah, though media reported the government has not yet decided whether to 
launch a major offensive in Lebanon.

   Lebanon is still reeling from the deadly device attacks of Tuesday and 
Wednesday.

   The explosions have rattled anxious Lebanese fearing a full-scale war. The 
Lebanese Army said it has been locating and detonating suspicious pagers and 
communication devices, while the country's civil aviation authorities banned 
pagers and walkie-talkies on all airplanes departing from Beirut's 
international airport until further notice.

   The attack was likely to severely disrupt Hezbollah's internal communication 
as it scrambles to determine safe means to talk to each other. Hezbollah 
announced the death of five combatants Thursday, but didn't specify if they 
were killed in the explosions or on the front lines.

   The blasts went off wherever the holders of the pagers or walkie-talkies 
happened to be in multiple parts of Beirut and eastern and southern Lebanon -- 
in homes and cars, grocery stores and cafes and on the street, even at a 
funeral for some killed in the bombings, often with family and other bystanders 
nearby.

   Many suffered gaping wounds on their legs, abdomens and faces or were maimed 
in the hand. Tuesday's pager blasts killed 12 people, including two children, 
and wounded some 2,300 others. The following day's explosion killed 25 and 
wounded more than 600, Health Minister Firas Abiad said, giving updated figures.

   Abiad told reporters that Wednesday's injuries were more severe than the 
previous day as walkie-talkies that exploded were bigger than the pagers. He 
praised Lebanon's hospitals, saying they had managed to deal with the flood of 
wounded within hours. "It was an indiscriminate attack. It was a war crime," he 
said.