Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah warned that the assassination of deputy Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri in a suburb of Beirut was a "very dangerous development" and would be responded to in a speech on Wednesday evening marking the anniversary of the assassination of IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani.
"Yesterday’s crime is big and dangerous and cannot be tolerated, and it will not remain without response and punishment," warned Nasrallah, noting the strike was the first of its kind since 2006 in Beirut.
Nasrallah rejected the idea that Israel was only targeting Hamas, not Hezbollah, with the strikes on Tuesday, saying it "was something that sounds convincing only to children or to those who are cowards."
The Hezbollah head additionally claimed that Hezbollah "was not deterred and today is more daring and prepared for confrontation and boldness."
"Until now, we have been fighting on the front with precise calculations, so we are paying a heavy price in the lives of our youth," said Nasrallah, warning that if a war is launched Hezbollah would fight "without limits."
"Whoever thinks of war with us will regret it and the price of war with us will be very costly. If war is waged against us, then the Lebanese national interests require that we take the war to the end."
Nasrallah addressed reports that the Radwan forces had been withdrawn from the border area, insisting that the movement's members were still "fighting on the border."
Nasrallah repeatedly mentioned that he would "go into more details" on various subjects, such as the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, in a speech on Friday.The Hezbollah leader dismissed threats made by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, saying "Gallant says that without achieving the goals of the war, people will not be able to live in this country and I say to Gallant that, God willing, you will not achieve the goals of the war."
Nasrallah denies Iran controls Hezbollah
Nasrallah insisted that, before the October 7 massacre, "the Palestinian issue was on its way to oblivion," and claimed that the war "dealt a devastating blow to the path of normalization."
The Hezbollah leader also dismissed the idea that Iran is controlling its proxies, saying, "in the Axis of Resistance, no one dictates anything to anyone else, and everyone makes decisions in line with the strategic vision and the interest of his country. There are no slaves, but there are only gentlemen and martyred leaders who achieve victory for their nation."
Nasrallah insisted as well during his speech that the international community is "not capable of protecting any people."
"This experience says that if you are weak, the world does not protect you, the world does not recognize you, and the world does not cry over you. The world that protects you is your strength, your courage, your missiles, and your presence in the field. If you are strong, you impose your presence on the world," said Nasrallah.
The Hezbollah leader said war in Lebanon was prevented by Hezbollah's haste to act first, saying "If the front were quiet, you would wake up in the middle of the night and Israel would be destroying everything in this country."
Arouri was killed in a drone strike blamed on Israel on Tuesday evening targeting an office belonging to Hamas in Mushrifiyah in the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital. Azzam al-Aqra and Samir Fendi, two commanders in Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades, were killed in the strike as well, along with three other Hamas members.
Israel had not officially taken responsibility for the strike as of Wednesday, although several government officials, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have published social media posts welcoming Arouri's death.
Hezbollah MP Hussein Jishi warned after the strike that "Hezbollah will respond to the assassination, and this is settled," in comments to Al-Araby al-Jadeed.
The Hezbollah terrorist movement stated several hours after the strike that it considers the assassination to be "a serious attack on Lebanon, its people, its security, its sovereignty, its resistance," adding that it is "a serious development in the course of the war between the enemy and the axis of resistance."
"We in Hezbollah affirm that this crime will never pass without a response and punishment...Its hand is on the trigger, and its fighters are in the highest state of readiness and preparedness. This historic day will be followed by more days," added the terrorist movement.
Even before the war, amid a slew of threats by Israeli officials against Arouri, Nasrallah warned that any Israeli assassination in Lebanese territory would "lead to a strong reaction," during an interview in August.
"It cannot be tolerated, and we will not allow Lebanon to open the arena for assassinations. We will not accept changing the rules of engagement that have existed since 2006, and the Israelis must understand this matter well," said Nasrallah at the time.