"Support for Gaza Strip Continues... Consequences Inevitable"
Clashes Between Both Sides May Escalate into Full-Scale War
Lebanese armed group Hezbollah declared retaliation targeting Israel after hundreds of pagers simultaneously exploded in Lebanon on the 17th (local time). With Israel recently intensifying military operations against Hezbollah and being pointed out as the party responsible for the explosion incident, concerns are rising that the conflict between the two sides could escalate into a full-scale war.
On the 17th (local time), a man’s pager exploded at a market in Beirut, Lebanon. [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]
According to Sputnik News and others on the 18th, Hezbollah stated in a press release, "We will continue operations supporting Gaza (where Palestinian armed group Hamas is at war with Israel) as before." Hezbollah emphasized, "This is separate from the harsh response to the enemy who massacred the Lebanese people on Tuesday (17th)," adding, "Paying the price is inevitable."
Hezbollah announced that 12 of its members died the previous day. Although it did not specify when or how they died, it is presumed to be related to the pager explosion incident.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is scheduled to give a speech regarding the explosion incident that afternoon.
The previous day, hundreds of pagers mainly used by Hezbollah members exploded simultaneously across Lebanon, killing at least nine people and injuring about 3,000. Immediately after the incident, Hezbollah issued a statement blaming Israel entirely, saying, "They will surely face just punishment."
Israel has not made any official comments regarding this matter.
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