Hezbollah has Suffered ‘Major and Unprecedented Blow,’ Nasrallah Admits

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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah admitted in a televised speech on September 19 that the Iran-backed terrorist organization has suffered a “major and unprecedented blow” during a week in which thousands of communications devices carried by its operatives detonated without warning. Speaking from an undisclosed location, Nasrallah said that an investigation committee had been established to probe the blasts, insisting that the “Israeli effort has largely been thwarted” and that Hezbollah was ready “to face even worse attacks.” Israel has not commented on whether it was responsible for the attacks on September 17 and September 18.

Pledging to celebrate the forthcoming anniversary of the Hamas atrocities in Israel on October 7, Nasrallah issued a threat to Israeli leaders. “We tell [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, [Defense Minister Yoav] Gallant and the Israeli people: We will not stop our attacks as long as the enemy does not halt its war in Gaza,” he stated. However, he declined to enter into specifics regarding any Hezbollah response, saying: “There will be a just punishment. I will not say when, where or how. You will know when the time comes.” Addressing Israel’s recent announcement that its war aims had been updated to include the return of more than 60,000 displaced Israelis to their homes in the north, Nasrallah warned: “You will not manage.” As he spoke, “two large sonic booms from Israeli fighter jets shook buildings in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, an apparent show of might by Israel,” The New York Times reported.

Expert Analysis

“Let’s be honest: despite Hassan Nasrallah’s rhetoric, he was clearly trying to rescue Hezbollah’s reputation. He tried to portray the pager and radio attacks as acts of terrorism against Lebanese civilians, a blatant distortion of reality. Notably, he said a response against Israel would be forthcoming but indicated that he was not rushing to execute it. Nasrallah’s warning suggests that Hezbollah is repeating its strategy of keeping both the Israeli military and civilians on high alert, anticipating a response that could materialize in days, weeks, or perhaps not at all.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

“Nasrallah’s speech was a typical exercise in damage control — minimization of Israel’s accomplishment during the communication device explosions and refocusing attention on the organization’s alleged accomplishments since October 8. Hezbollah, he was implying, is neither ready for nor wants a major war with Israel at the moment.” — David Daoud, FDD Senior Fellow

“Hezbollah has been attacking Israel for 11 months, forcing more than 60,000 Israelis to remain displaced from their homes. After suffering losses due to exploding communications devices, the Iranian-backed terrorist group is now claiming that it will retaliate by expanding its attacks on Israel.” — Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow

‘Significant Damage’ Inflicted on Hezbollah by Exploding Devices, Israelis Say

Israeli officials believe that the death toll from the blasts across Lebanon this week is notably higher than the official number announced by the Lebanese health ministry, Ynet reported. “Significant damage was inflicted on Hezbollah’s special operation unit Radwan force, which lost large parts of its command structure,” the Israeli news outlet reported. “At least 450 were injured in the explosion of the hand-held walkie-talkie radios throughout Lebanon, and these join the more than 3,000 Hezbollah operatives who were injured by the pager blasts.”

Two IDF soldiers were killed on September 19 as Hezbollah launched missiles and drone attacks against northern Israel. Maj. (res.) Nael Fwarsy was killed and another soldier slightly wounded after an explosive-laden drone launched by Hezbollah struck an area outside Ya’ara in the western Galilee, The Times of Israel reported. The other fatality, Sgt. Tomer Keren, was killed and eight other soldiers wounded, including one seriously, after two anti-tank missiles launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon struck a position in the Ramim Ridge area on the border in the Galilee Panhandle.