Hezbollah chief Nasrallah acknowledges 'unprecedented' blow after thousands in Lebanon hit by device attacks



Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday acknowledged his group had suffered an "unprecedented" blow after the explosion of thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon, but still pledged to defeat any Israeli ground invasion.

The two waves of device detonations on Tuesday and Wednesday killed 37 people and maimed thousands of others. Most of those killed were members of Iran-backed Hezbollah, which acknowledged the deaths in individual statements commemorating each one.

"There’s no doubt that we have been hit, security-wise, in an unprecedented way," Mr Nasrallah said in his first comments on the attacks that rocked Lebanon and filled hospitals with thousands of wounded. "This level of aggression might be unprecedented in our conflict with the Israeli enemy." The attacks "may even be seen as a declaration of war”.

Mr Nasrallah accused Israel of carrying out "terrorist attacks" by hitting at least "5,000 people in two minutes" with the detonations of wireless devices. The number of eye injuries "is high and hospitals are not equipped to handle such a high influx", he said.

He said an internal investigative committee had been formed to look into the details of the attacks from the production of the devices to the moment of detonation.

According to a security source in Beirut, the joint assessment of the Lebanese security agencies is that the devices were rigged “with a small amount of an unknown type of explosives, either at the storage place in Budapest or even in Israel”.

“The bigger probability is that they took them to Israel, rigged them with explosives, and then sent them back to the storage location before Hezbollah shipped them to Lebanon,” the source said.

The attacks came after Israel announced it was shifting its focus to the war with Hezbollah, which has forced tens of thousands of Israelis to abandon their homes in the north of the country.

The Israeli government stated it was determined to change the situation, while the heavily armed militant group declared it would not stop attacking Israel until there was a ceasefire in Gaza.

Despite the recent attacks on Hezbollah members that could disrupt the group's long-term communication, Mr Nasrallah said his heavily armed group was ready to face and defeat an Israeli invasion of south Lebanon.

Any "security belt" set up by Israel will be turned into "hell" and will only push more Israelis out of their homes in the country's north, he said.

As Mr Nasrallah spoke, low-flying Israeli jets released flares over Beirut and generated a massive sonic boom that shook the ground, sending residents into panic.

Hours after his speech Israel conducted dozens of intense, widespread air assaults across southern Lebanon, with the Israeli army saying it struck about 30 rocket launchers and Hezbollah sites.

The attack was preceded by Hezbollah launching a barrage of Falaq missiles into the northern Israeli town of Metula, causing fires and heavy damage to homes. A woman was lightly wounded, Israeli media reported.

Earlier in the day two Israeli soldiers were killed in Hezbollah attacks on Israeli military posts near the border, the military said. The first, in which eight other soldiers were injured, was caused by a barrage of anti-tank missiles. The second Israeli soldier's death was caused by an explosive-laden drone, Israeli media reported.

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Business Insights
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).

Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23

UAE fixtures:
Men

Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final

Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final

Tips to keep your car cool
  • Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
  • Park in shaded or covered areas
  • Add tint to windows
  • Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
  • Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
  • Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
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The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)

Disclaimer

Director: Alfonso Cuaron 

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville 

Rating: 4/5

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Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 4/5
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Rating: 2/5
 
Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Company%20Profile
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The biog

Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia

Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins

Favourite dish: Grilled fish

Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.

CHELSEA'S NEXT FIVE GAMES

Mar 10: Norwich(A)

Mar 13: Newcastle(H)

Mar 16: Lille(A)

Mar 19: Middlesbrough(A)

Apr 2: Brentford(H)

Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale

Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni

Director: Amith Krishnan

Rating: 3.5/5

Quick facts on cancer
  • Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases 
  •  About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime 
  • By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million 
  • 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries 
  • This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030 
  • At least one third of common cancers are preventable 
  • Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers 
  • Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
    strategies 
  • The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion

   

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo

Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm

Transmission: CVT auto

Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km

On sale: now

Price: from Dh195,000 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Updated: September 20, 2024, 7:19 AM

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