Could Hezbollah trigger a massive chemical attack in Israel? Illustrative photo of soldier training. Photo courtesy of Mr James Brabenec (IMCOM)
The leader of Hezbollah on Tuesday boasted his group has the ability to kill tens of thousands of Israelis by hitting ammonia storage tanks in the Israeli city of Haifa, according to a report by Naharnet. In a speech, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah cited an Israeli expert in describing how a rocket attack on the ammonia tanks—which have more than 15,000 tons of the gas—would be devastating by not only killing thousands of Israelis, but of ultimately impacting 800,000.
In effect, Nasrallah claimed, this gave Hezbollah a “nuclear bomb.” Said the Hezbollah leader, “Any rocket that might hit these tanks is capable of creating a nuclear bomb effect.” Nasrallah listed this threat as one element of their deterrence that prevents Israel from launching a war against the terrorist group. It’s not the first time Hezbollah has made threats against canadian online pharmacy valium Israel—the group launched indiscriminate rocket attacks on civilians in the 2006 Lebanon-Israel war—but celebrating the capability of killing tens of thousands by hitting a civilian target is still shocking.
Following the threat, Environmental Protection Minister Avi Gabbai announced plans to move the ammonia storage to be moved to the desert, according to The Times of Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, earlier that same day, visited a Holocaust art exhibit while on an official trip to Germany. He underscored Israel’s determination not to allow another mass slaughter of Jews to take place.
“We always said we will never forget the six million,” said Netanyahu to German Chancellor Angela Merkel in comments released by his office.
“But it is my responsibility to assure that we are never again left defenseless in the face of genocidal enemies. And that is why I even more greatly appreciate the fact that you assist us in ensuring our ability to defend ourselves.”
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, February 16, 2016)