2023-11-03 19:43:57
Everyone was eagerly awaiting the first words of Hasan Nasrallahhe Hezbollah leader, since the Hamas offensive against Israel and the consequent bloody war on Gaza. Thousands of people gathered in Lebanese squares to hear one of the most influential figures in the Arab world. Although Nasrallah was not expected to advocate a total war against the “Zionist enemy”, the immediate reactions to his speech are one of timid disappointment. Beyond the usual anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist rhetoric, the speech highlighted the desire of Hezbollah and Iran not to get involved anymore, at least for the moment, in the war between Israel and Hamas. But not without forgetting to point out that “what happens on the Lebanese front depends on what happens in Gaza.”
During an hour of speech, Nasrallah stressed that “all stages are open and under consideration on our southern Lebanese front.” “We can turn to them at any time; “We are a support front,” he stated in video statements. He has asked Israel to stop its attacks on the Gaza Strip, which have already left more than 9,000 dead and kilometers of destruction in almost a month of conflict, in order to avoid a regional conflagration. The Hezbollah leader has insisted on distancing himself from the operation ‘Al Aqsa flood’, the land, sea and air offensive against Israel launched by the Palestinian militia Hamas that killed 1,400 people. “Some say the operation served Iran’s objectives in the region or nuclear negotiations, but that is all lie; the operation is entirely Palestinianfor Palestine, its cause, its people, and is not linked to any regional or international issue,” he stressed.
“Axis of Resistance”
Thus, Nasrallah, who on this occasion was expected to speak not only as the leader of Hezbollah, but as the main representative of the “Axis of Resistance”, distanced himself from the imposed obligations for a possible association in the design of the operation. Neither Iran nor Hezbollah want to feel obliged to intervene more widely in this war. “To those calling for Hezbollah to engage in open war, what is happening on the border may seem moderatebut that is not the case,” he recalled. But, despite expectations, Nasrallah has created a clear distinction between what Hamas did on October 7 and what happened afterwards. He spoke on behalf of the Houthis of Yemento the Shiite militias Iraqis and to Iran, but not in the name of the Palestinian militia that rules de facto in Gaza.
Nasrallah began his speech by mentioning the “martyrs”, the 57 combatants killed in clashes with Israel, in the south of the country. “As for our Lebanese front, we entered battle on October 8,” he said to justify the significant losses recorded in a short period of conflict and to point out that Hezbollah has been fighting against Israel since the beginning of the conflict. Nasrallah has also sent a message to USA. “Today is the solely responsible for the war in Gaza, Israel is just a tool to execute it,” he said, while pointing out that the US had the ability to stop the suffering of Palestinian civilians. “What is happening on our front had not been seen since 1948not even during the July 2006 war,” recalled the Hezbollah leader.
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