The US State Department has called on Hezbollah to halt its “terrorist attacks” against Israel following two waves of deadly explosions targeting the Lebanese group’s communication devices, which Hezbollah attributes to Israeli forces.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters, “Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, could end the terrorist attacks on Israel, and I can guarantee that if he did, we would insist that Israel must maintain calm on its side as well.”
Miller emphasised, “What needs to be understood is that he is not stopping the attacks.”
Earlier on Thursday, Nasrallah acknowledged that his organisation had suffered an “unprecedented” blow and warned of a “terrible” retaliation for the large-scale attacks, which he blamed on Israeli intelligence services.
Nasrallah threatened that Israel would face “terrible punishment” and “fair retaliation” where it “expects” and where it “does not expect”.
He added that Hezbollah has begun an internal investigation into the explosions on Tuesday and Wednesday, which killed 37 people and injured approximately 3,000 others.
These explosions have heightened concerns of a large-scale war in the Middle East.
Miller stated, “As long as Hezbollah launches attacks on the other side of the border (of Lebanon and Israel), of course, Israel will conduct military operations to defend itself, as any other country would do.”
The United States has designated Hezbollah as a “terrorist” organisation since 1997, imposing economic and banking sanctions.
In 2013, the European Union also labelled the military wing of the Lebanese movement as a “terrorist” organisation.
“We continue to press all parties to avoid escalating the conflict (…) a war that we know will affect the interests of all sides,” Miller added.
(information from amna.gr)
