TEHRAN - The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, who broke his 28-day silence on the situation in Gaza on Friday, has urged Israel to be realistic with its future goals and plans, putting to question the regime’s threats of eradicating Hamas.  

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stated that the regime is used to setting far-reaching goals it cannot achieve. He drew parallels with the regime’s previous goal to “crush the resistance in Lebanon” and underlined that Israel has not yet learned from its past mistakes. 

The Hezbollah leader called Israel “frail” and said that for a whole month, it has been unable to record a single military achievement.

“On the Lebanese front, all options are on the table,” said Nasrallah, warning Hezbollah will be escalating its operations against Israel by the day and that any development depends on Israeli actions in Gaza. 

The Hezbollah chief said whoever wants to prevent a regional war, must quickly stop the Israeli aggression against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The resistance leader said Hezbollah began its offensive against Israel on October 8, confirming that so far 57 members of Hezbollah have been martyred in the fight against the regime. 

He added that the daily exchange of fire with Israeli forces along the Lebanese border is very important as it has been unprecedented since 1948.

Addressing the U.S. deployment of warships in the region, Nasrallah said Lebanon’s resistance fighters do not feel intimidated by Washington’s increased military presence in West Asia. 

Nasrallah said that Hezbollah is prepared to act against US navy ships in the Mediterranean Sea. 

He said the U.S. rushing to help the Zionist regime revealed American politicians’ “weakness” and “fragility”. 

“Nothing even started and we see the countries around the world sending their presidents, their ministers, their generals, their arsenals, their billions to support this illegitimate entity,” the Hezbollah chief pointed out.

“The American administration hurried [to send] its President, secretaries, and generals to make sure that the Israeli occupation survives the aftermath of the operation,” he explained. 

Nasrallah however noted that the October 7 surprise operation by Hamas resistance movement inside the occupied territories led to an “earthquake” in Israel

“It has strategic and existential repercussions and will leave its effects on the present and future of [Israel],” he said.

Nasrallah also commented on the fact that the surprise offensive was fully planned and executed by Palestinians, saying that goes to show that “Iran does not exercise any guardianship at all over the resistance factions and the real decision-makers are the leaders of the resistance”. 

“Absolute secrecy is what ensured the success of the Al-Aqsa Storm operation on October 7,” he averted, stressing that Hezbollah was not “bothered by Hamas’s concealment of the October 7 attack plan”.

He hailed the Hamas operation as wise and courageous, noting that the group took action with the right timing. 

"This battle is spotless at all levels. It is one of the clearest and purest examples of fighting in the path upheld for the sake of God," he highlighted.

The Hezbollah leader pointed to the hardships that Palestinians had to endure before October 7, saying, "The circumstances in the last few years in Palestine were very tough, especially after Benjamin Netanyahu's fascist, idiotic, stupid, and monstrous cabinet claimed power”. 

In the current situation, he said, the first goal should be to stop the war and aggression against Gaza. The next goal is for the resistance and Hamas to win this battle in Gaza, he added.
He also said that Israel would only be able to free its captives through negotiations.

Nasrallah began his speech by offering condolences and congratulations to the families of those killed in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. He praised “the fallen martyrs” of Hezbollah and the other groups fighting Israel, as well as the civilians killed.

“I start by offering my deepest condolences to the families of the fallen here in Lebanon, and at the same we congratulate you as your loved ones have won the honor of martyrdom,” he said.
“We must also salute the strong and brave Iraqi and Yemeni hands who are now involved in this holy war,” he stated.

“There had to be a major event that would shake the usurping entity and its supporters in Washington and London and this is when the blessed operation of the October 7 took place”.

Israel’s heavy bombardments of Gaza have so far led to the loss of more than 9000 civilian lives.  Half of the casualties are children, who died during the regime’s deliberate targeting of hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, and refugee camps. 

The United Nations has slammed the attacks, with the UN General Assembly passing a resolution that demands the implementation of an immediate "humanitarian truce" in Gaza. The Israeli regime has rejected all calls for a ceasefire, claiming it would allow Hamas to “re-supply” and “re-group”. The U.S. has prevented any resolutions from getting passed in the Security Council against Israel and repeatedly backed the regime’s stance on a ceasefire. 

MHA/PA