The military leader of the Lebanese armed movement Hezbollah, Fouad Chokr, was killed Tuesday evening by an Israeli strike on a building in a densely populated district of Beirut.
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Tensions are growing. In Beirut, the head of the Lebanese Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said on Thursday, August 1, that Israel should expect a “inevitable response” of the Islamist movement after the assassination of its military leader, Fouad Chokr, on Tuesday, July 30, near the Lebanese capital. This high-ranking Hezbollah officer died after an Israeli strike, also killing five civilians. Since then, Hezbollah has been crying for vengeance and preparing to retaliate.
At the tribute ceremony on August 1, slogans glorifying the Hezbollah leader were chanted in front of the giant screen where he appeared via videoconference. Hassan Nasrallah spoke: “We have reached a new stage. Today, Israel must expect our wrath and revenge!” “Israel does not know what red lines it has crossed,” Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah continued at Fouad Shokr’s funeral, threatening Israel with a “inevitable response”.
In front of a platform, men in fatigues carry the coffin of Fouad Chokr, assassinated Tuesday, July 30 in the Israeli strike on the southern suburbs. At 70 years old, Ibrahim follows the funeral procession and whispers in a calm voice: “Our resistance is strengthened. Each new martyr makes Hezbollah a little stronger.”
Security guards are everywhere, as Hezbollah officials and deputies pass by. Among them, a sheikh, Faisal Abbas Chokr. He is a relative of the assassinated leader: “We will respond decisively and painfully. After that, either the Zionists will remain silent, or we will continue to fight them until we destroy Israel!”he threatens.
Since the beginning of the war, this is the shortest speech that the leader of Hezbollah has made. Threats, without any reservation, while Iran also announces that it will retaliate against Israel. Since the attack by Hamas on October 7 in Israel, which triggered the war in the Gaza Strip, Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, which it classifies as a terrorist organization like the United States and the European Union.
For its part, Hamas has called for a “day of anger”“on the occasion of the burial of his political leader and requested that”Angry marches start from every mosque” after the big Friday prayer. US President Joe Biden declared on Thursday “very worried“of this rise in tensions in the Middle East. The assassination in Iran of the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, has not”not arranged” the situation, he added.