Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah warned on Wednesday that any retaliation by Israel for last week’s highway bombing by an infiltrator from Lebanon could lead to a regional war, but he stopped short of claiming responsibility for the attack.
“Any military or security Zionist attack on Lebanon will be met with a fast response from the resistance,” said Nasrallah, according to Lebanese media. “A war on Lebanon might lead to war in the entire region and the demise of Israel.”
Nasrallah said that Hezbollah’s silence to date on the bombing was “part of the battle with the enemy,” while describing the suspect shot dead by Israel as a “martyr mujahid [jihadist].
“It is not our responsibility to answer what confuses the enemy, and sometimes our answer is in not commenting on the incident,” the Lebanese terrorist said.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Tuesday that the terrorist who placed the roadside bomb along the Route 65 highway in northern Israel on March 13 infiltrated the country from Lebanon using a ladder to climb over the border fence.
The military has not named who it believes dispatched the terrorist, but it is suspected that Hezbollah was involved.
The bomb, which was placed behind a barrier near the Megiddo Junction some 18 miles southeast of Haifa and 37 miles from the Lebanese border, detonated around 6 a.m., seriously wounding Shareef ad-Din, 21, a resident of the Israeli Arab town of Salem.
After the blast, the IDF, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israel Police launched an intensive search for the terrorist, including the establishment of roadblocks in northern Israel. The terrorist, who was equipped with a suicide vest and a rifle, was killed by security forces after being stopped at a checkpoint near the village of Ya’ara.
On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that progress was being made in the investigation into the bombing, and vowed to exact a price from those responsible.
“The determined actions of the security agencies, which led to the elimination of the terrorist and the prevention of another attack, deserve all the praise. Whoever is responsible for the attack will pay for it. We will find the right place, the correct way, and hit back,” he said.
