Hezbollah hints at retaliation for Israeli assassination of senior commander

BEIRUT, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Hezbollah signaled on Friday that it will retaliate for the assassination of senior commander Haytham Tabtabai, with the group's leader Naim Qassem declaring that the movement will decide the timing of its response.

Speaking at the memorial ceremony for Tabtabai and other slain Hezbollah members, Qassem called the killing "blatant aggression and a crime," stating that Hezbollah's right to respond is "established" and that the group "will determine the moment."

Earlier this month, at least five people, including Tabtabai, were killed and 28 others wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a residential apartment in Haret Hreik, south of Beirut, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Qassem suggested that "collaborators" may have played a role in the strike, noting that recent arrests by Lebanon's General Security showed that "some provide Israel with information."

In his speech, the Hezbollah leader also criticized what he described as ongoing Israeli violations, including drone overflights of government sites, and pressed the Lebanese government to adopt a clearer defensive posture. Enditem