Nasrallah: Response to Arouri killing is coming; failure to respond would leave Lebanon exposed to continued Israeli strikes

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah says in a nationally televised speech that all of Lebanon would be exposed if his terror group did not react to the alleged Israeli assassination of deputy Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut.

Nasrallah uses his speech to repeat many of his same threats against Israel that he made earlier this week, again vowing to avenge Arouri’s killing while remaining vague on the specifics.

“We cannot sit quietly in the face of an assassination in the middle of the war, and the assassination will not go unpunished,” he claims.

“The response is coming. The decision has already been made. The matter now depends on what will unfold on the ground and on Allah,” Nasrallah says.

“We are unable to remain silent in the face of such an action because this would expose all of Lebanon to IDF operations,” he asserts, adding that allowing Israel to succeed in its operations in Gaza would lead to the IDF following suit in Lebanon.

Highlighting the thousands of residents in northern Israel who have been forced to evacuate their homes since October 7, Nasrallah says they should reach out to the government in Jerusalem if they want to return, suggesting that it would be contingent on the IDF ceasing its military campaign in Gaza.

He adds that Israel’s northern residents will be the first to pay the price of a war with Hezbollah.