BEIRUT (Reuters) - The response to Israel's "assault" a week ago on the Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut with two drones "is a foregone conclusion" and will be open from within Lebanon and not a requirement to be in the Shebaa Farms, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said.
In a televised speech marking the first Ashura nights in Beirut's southern suburbs, Nasrallah said that "the issue for us is not a rehabilitation, it is about fixing the equations, fixing the rules of engagement and establishing the logic of protection for the country."
He also called on Nasrallah to start a new phase by targeting and dropping Israeli planes flying over Lebanese airspace, so that the Israelis feel that Lebanon's skies are not being allowed.
"This does not mean that we will drop every march, and on a daily basis, but we will work in a certain way and certain plans, and we are working voluntarily and we choose time and reasons."
He added that the nature of the Lebanese resistance's response to the recent Israeli strike is known to very few, and that it is now up to the field commanders who know what to do.
He also stressed that the party does not have factories for precision missiles, but has enough of these missiles, noting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is looking for an argument for the attack to impose new rules of engagement.
Nasrallah also said that the two planes that struck Beirut's southern suburbs were packed with explosives, warning that Israeli drones opened the door to killings and assassinations in Lebanon.
It is noteworthy that Israel has put its forces on high alert along the border with Lebanon and the Syrian Golan Heights, and two sources said that Hezbollah is preparing a "deliberate" strike against Israel.
The Israeli army has instructed its forces to refrain from moving in the streets along the border with Lebanon without prior permission, and to change the pattern of regular military patrols so that they do not become an easy target for sniping or shelling.
The IDF's field actions reflect its anticipation of a possible Hezbollah attack, in response to Israeli drone activity in Lebanon in recent days.
The Reuters news agency earlier quoted two sources close to the party as saying that the latter is preparing a "deliberate strike" against Israel so as not to lead to war.
Hassan Nasrallah also promised Israel, following the attack on the Hezbollah stronghold in the southern suburbs with two drones, an imminent response. "I say to the Israeli army on the border," he said. "Because what happened last night (25 August) will not pass with us, it will not pass."