Qassem at Aqil’s Funeral: “We’ve Surpassed the Shock, and We’re Stronger…The Response Is a Payment in an Open Account” / Netanyahu Pushes for Escalation, and Halevi Threatens: “A Million Settlers in Shelters and a Quarter Million Displaced”
The Promise Fulfilled, and the Response Delivered: Rafael Factories, Ramat David Airbase, Haifa, and Beyond
September 23, 2024
Albinaa’ Newspaper Headlines
The political editor wrote
It wasn’t long before the resistance once again proved its exceptional nature, demonstrating an even more impressive performance. In his speech, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah kept his promise with this initial response, as stated by the Islamic Resistance’s declaration. Missiles, being used for the first time on the northern front – Fadi 1 and Fadi 2 – targeted both the Ramat David Airbase and Rafael’s electronic and intelligence military equipment factories, striking them directly. Meanwhile, panic engulfed the entire Haifa Bay area, where the targets are located. Debris from intercepted missiles collided with Iron Dome defences, falling onto settlements in the area and causing massive fires and widespread destruction. Images of the aftermath were shared on social media by settlers, with Hebrew channels later broadcasting some of them.
Hezbollah, while mourning one of its senior founding leaders, the martyr Commander Ibrahim Aqil, made clear through its Deputy Secretary-General, Sheikh Naim Qassem, that the party has moved past the shock. He emphasised that Hezbollah is now much stronger, fully aware of the gravity of the responsibility and challenges ahead, and ready to face the demands of the current phase without retreating. He reaffirmed Hezbollah’s commitment to supporting Gaza from the Lebanese front, under the established equation: there will be no ceasefire, nor a return of displaced people to northern occupied Palestine, except through an agreement that ends the war on Gaza. Sheikh Naim Qassem described yesterday’s resistance response as “a payment in an open account” between the resistance and the occupying entity.
Meanwhile, in the occupying entity, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rhetoric of escalation intensified, emphasising that Hezbollah must understand the power messages being sent for the settlers to return. The Chief of Staff of the occupying army echoed these threats, pushing for further escalation. Yesterday’s resistance response forced a million settlers into shelters, according to Hebrew television reports, while Israeli media estimated that a quarter-million people fled northern occupied Palestine in fear of the rocket strikes on Haifa.
