Lebanon marks Saturday, April 8, the 24th anniversary of the Israeli massacre against the Lebanese innocent civilians and the UNIFIL troops in the southern town of Qana as over 106 martyrs were claimed by the Zionist artillery shells.
Qana massacre was one of the atrocities committed by the Israeli enemy forces against the Lebanese civilians during the 16-day aggression it launched on April 11, 1996, in order to strike the Resistance power.
In response, Hezbollah decided to confront the Israeli war in a way that deters the enemy’s arrogance and prevent it from reaching its targets.
Hezbollah Secretary General on that day threatened to fire missiles at the Zionist settlements in northern occupied Palestine in response to any Israeli military escalation, refuting the Israeli PM Shimon Perez’s pledges to restore security and stability in the north of the occupation entity.
Hezbollah fired hundreds of Katyusha missiles at the Zionist settlements in northern occupied Palestine, inflicting considerable losses upon them and forcing hundreds of thousands of settlers to resort to the basements.
The 16-day fierce confrontation came to an end when the Zionist enemy failed to defeat the Lebanese Resistance’s rocketry power which imposed new rules of engagement on the Israelis.
The ceasefire pact recognized Hezbollah right to strike the Israeli settlements in response to any Zionist attack on the Lebanese civilians, giving the Resistance an international legitimacy.
This diplomatic achievement relied also on heavy sacrifices made by the Lebanese Resistance, Army and people, knowing that the Israeli aggression left a large number of martyrs and injuries.
Hezbollah rocketry power consecrated a new balance of deterrence, forcing the Israeli enemy to stop its aggression, granting Lebanon a major victory over the Zionist “Grapes of Wrath” despite the heavy losses it inflicted upon the Lebanese.
Since 1996, the missile power of Hezbollah has forces the Zionist enemy to subdue to new rules of engagement based on paying heavy prices for its crimes, following the principle “eye for eye”.
It was 2 p.m. on April 18, 1996, when the Israeli occupation struck a position for the UNIFIL troops (Fijian brigade), killing 106 innocent civilians and injuring dozens.
The Lebanese civilians escaped from the Israeli shells during the 1996 war and resorted to the UNIFIL position, supposing that the UN umbrella could protect them from the Zionist barbarism.
The UN Security Council held an urgent session to condemn the Israeli massacre; however, US vetoed the resolution.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
