TEHRAN – The secretary-general of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Sayid Hassan Nasrallah, has reaffirmed the combat readiness of the resistance forces in the Arab country, telling the visiting Iranian foreign minister that all options are on the table. 

Hezbollah’s warning comes amid brutal Israeli aggression against the besieged Gaza Strip that is causing huge civilian casualties. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian met with Nasrallah in Beirut as part of a regional tour that included Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria. 

In the meeting, the situation in Palestine was discussed. The two sides also discussed the complete readiness of the Palestinian resistance groups to confront Israeli aggression. 

The Iranian foreign minister briefed the Hezbollah chief on Iran’s diplomatic efforts regarding Palestine, including the push for an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Amir Abdollahian also explained Iran’s efforts to end the cruel Israeli siege of Gaza and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, including medicine, food, water, electricity, and fuel, to the people of Gaza. 

Amir Abdollahian and Nasrallah also condemned the unilateral support of the U.S. and some Western countries for Israel’s carnage in Gaza. 

They underlined the need for immediate action to stop Israeli crimes against Gaza.

“Today, the resistance is in great shape and all scenarios are completely ready,” the Hezbollah chief told the Iranian foreign minister. 

Meeting resistance leaders

Amir Abdollahian also met with some senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials in Beirut as he continued his visit to Lebanon.

They discussed the latest developments in Palestine.

The Palestinian officials noted that Operation Al-Aqsa Storm was a natural reaction of the Palestinian nation’s resistance to the daily and continuous crimes of the Zionist regime, specifically the extremist cabinet of Netanyahu against Palestinians and the regime’s frequent desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

They also said despite the war crimes by the usurping Zionist regime against the oppressed people of Gaza, resistance groups have stood up strongly against the regime’s aggression, with their morale, motivation and capability being high as they press ahead down the path of resistance.

Amir Abdollahian, for his part, said the Palestinian people have an inalienable right to resistance against occupation.

He added that just as some Western officials have admitted the Al-Aqsa Storm proved that Palestine is alive and despite some claims the Palestinian issue will not slip into oblivion due to normalization deals between some countries and the Zionist regime.

Amir Abdollahian further said some Western countries even share the view that the Al-Aqsa Storm was a response to Netanyahu’s extremist moves.

The top Iranian diplomat outlined the diplomatic efforts by the Islamic Republic of Iran to end the “war crimes” committed by the Zionist regime against the people of Gaza, saying the Islamic Republic will continue its efforts.

 ‘Finger on trigger’

Speaking at a press conference in Beirut, Amir Abdollahian issued a stark warning to Israel. 

He called on Israel to stop its atrocities in the Gaza Strip, saying that the Resistance groups in the region have their “hand on the trigger”. 

Commenting on the zero hour for the full-scale involvement of the resistance in the Gaza-Israel war, Amir Abdollahian said, “Today, the leaders of the resistance groups have cohesion. Everyone has designed scenarios and everyone's hand is on the trigger. In case of procrastination by the international community and the United Nations and activists supporting the Zionist regime, the resistance axis will respond at the appropriate time.”

He added, “In the conversation with the leaders of the resistance, I found that the response of the resistance would be decisive that changes the current map of the occupied territories.”

Amir Abdollahian did not rule out the opening of a new front in the current flare-up. “Regarding the opening of new fronts, I must say that every possibility depends on the events in the field,” he warned. 

The Iranian foreign minister said any action by Hezbollah would amount to an earthquake for the Zionist regime.

He said, “The Palestinian resistance has important capabilities for a strong and stable resistance and reaction. Naturally, I understood that considering the scenarios against Hezbollah, any action would be an earthquake against the Zionists. Therefore, based on my understanding of the reality of the resistance, I warn the supporters of war crimes against the people of Gaza to stop the war immediately. Maybe it will be too late in the next few hours.”

The Iranian foreign minister warned that the responsibility for any expansion of war in the region lies with the Zionist regime.

Commenting on the position of Hezbollah regarding the situation in Gaza, Amir Abdollahian said he discussed the tensions in Gaza and Southern Lebanon. “Lebanon's Hezbollah will take appropriate action considering all aspects.”

Normalization off the table

The Iranian foreign minister also took a jab at the Saudi-Israeli normalization, saying it is no longer on the table. “With the new conditions in the region, what the media is talking about as the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and the Zionist regime is completely off the table,” he said.

This comes amid media reports that the Saudis have decided to suspend the U.S.-brokered normalization talks with Israel amid heavy bombardment of the Gaza Strip. 

“One of the high-ranking officials of a European country told me that Operation Al-Aqsa Storm showed that the Palestinian issue is alive and that no one can silence the Palestinian issue in the Middle East,” he continued. 

Amir Abdollahian meeting Assad

The Iranian foreign minister also met Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus. They discussed the developments in Palestine, according to the Iranian foreign ministry. 

In the meeting, Amir Abdollahian said, “He described the merciless killing of people, children, women and the elderly in Gaza and the siege and cut-off of water, electricity and fuel in this area and the bombing of homes, public and medical facilities in Gaza as a war crime.”

He added, “Some international and Western officials in contact and discussion with us consider Netanyahu's extreme policies and his provocative actions as the cause of Operation Al-Aqsa Storm. However, the Westerners call all parties except the Zionist regime to exercise restraint! Westerners say that, contrary to imagination, the Al-Aqsa Storm showed that Palestine is still alive.”

He pointed out that the support of Iran and Syria for the resistance of the Palestinian nation is not a secret to anyone, but the recent operation of the Palestinians was a completely Palestinian decision, design and action.

Underlining that the West seeks to falsify the facts in Gaza to justify and legitimize the crimes of the Zionists, he said, “The resistance has the ability to continue resisting the Zionist regime for a long time.”

 Amir Abdollahian stressed that America cannot demand restraint from others and at the same time support the Zionist regime with weapons to be used against Palestinian citizens.

In this meeting, President Assad expressed concerns about the crimes of Israel against the people of Gaza. “The Zionists and their supporters want to return the victory of the Palestinian people in the recent developments to the past or turn it into a ground to destroy the resistance. This approach is followed by the guidance and management of America and Western countries,” he said.