The head of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement Hassan Nasrallah vowed Tuesday to mount an “effective” retaliation against Israel.
“Our response is coming and it will be strong and effective,” Nasrallah told thousands of his followers via video.
The remarks came one week after the assassination of high-ranking Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.
Nasrallah said regardless of the consequences, his movement cannot let the assassination go unpunished. He also referenced the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital Tehran last week.
He added that Hezbollah will “respond, but carefully and courageously, and the Israeli wait is part of the response.”
He said a retaliatory strike could occur together with other groups in the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” including those in Iraq and Yemen. Iran’s leadership has also vowed to exact vengeance.
“The goal of the fight is to prevent Israel from winning,” Nasrallah said.
Hezbollah has said it is acting in solidarity with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and that if the fighting there stops, the movement will lay down its weapons in southern Lebanon.
Shortly before Nasrallah started to speak, the sonic booms of Israeli fighter jet over Beirut and its suburbs could be heard, causing panic and fear.
The Hezbollah chief accused Israel of chosing to escalate tensions after it hit the commander inside Beirut’s southern suburbs, a hotbed for the group, and kill Hanniyeh in Tehran.
The Hezbollah chief acknowleged that the killing of Shukr was a great loss for the group.
