Hezbollah vow Israel strike over death of military chief

The leader of Hezbollah yesterday pledged a "strong and effective" response to the killing of its military commander by Israel last week and said it would act either alone or with its regional allies.

- LAILA BASSAM

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Hezbollah would wait for the right moment to respond but did not hint at its form or timing. All international attempts at persuading Hezbollah not to retaliate were futile, he said.

“Whatever the consequences, the resistance will not let these Israeli attacks pass by,” he said in a televised address to mark one week since the assassination of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut. “Our response, God willing, will be strong, effective and impactful.”

Members and supporters of Hezbollah gathered to watch the speech in a southern suburb of Beirut. Just before his speech began, Israeli warplanes swooped low over the Lebanese capital, setting off a series of sonic booms that rattled windows across the city and sent people ducking for cover. There was no comment from the Israeli military.