Hezbollah chief vows revenge for pager bomb assault

Hezbollah’s leader has condemned Israel following the pager blasts, saying ‘all red lines have been crossed by the enemy’ and that the deadly attacks ‘deserve a response’.

Sonic booms from Israeli jets have been heard over Beirut at the same time as Hassan Nasrallah was making his speech.

A huge dust cloud was seen on live TV, with a Sky News journalist on the ground reporting that the loud sound was followed by screams.

Speaking in his first address since the clandestine attacks began on Tuesday, Nasrallah said more than 4,000 devices were detonated with the intention of killing thousands.

‘This could be called a declaration of war,’ Nasrallah declared. ‘We have received a very hard hit, but this is the state of war. Through this experience and its lessons we will be stronger and more powerful.’

He said the explosions had ‘happened in hospitals, pharmacies, markets, shops, houses and in cars,’ as well as in the streets ‘where many civilians were along with women and children.’

‘This is the scale of criminality,’ he said. ‘What can we call this kind of criminal action – is it a big operation? Is it genocide? Is it a massacre?’ 

He said the death toll, which stands at more than 30 in total, could have been far higher, but that not all the pagers and radios been handed out and not all fighters were with their communication devices when the blasts were triggered.

During Nasrallah’s lengthy three-part address, Israel announced that it was continuing airstrikes on Lebanon.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow. 

Hassan Nasrallah spoke this afternoon in his first address since the clandestine attacks began on Tuesday