Nasrallah is aware that Israel is trying to provoke Lebanon and Iran into an all-out war, with the hope of roping in the Americans. But the Lebanese leader also understands that Hezbollah must respond.
The Secretary-General of the Lebanese Resistance group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah said on Wednesday evening that “Israel tried to create a picture of victory by assassinating Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Beirut on Tuesday after failing to achieve it in Gaza.”
Two successive explosions in southern Iran killed over 70 people and injured over 170 more, during a commemoration on the fourth anniversary of Gen. Soleimani’s death.https://t.co/bD3O2vA6fT pic.twitter.com/INJhFxlAND
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 3, 2024
His comments were made in a public speech on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the assassination of IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, in a US airstrike near Baghdad in 2020.
Nasrallah added that “We console the Palestinian people in the martyrdom of Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri and his comrades in an Israeli aggression on the southern suburbs of Beirut.”
“The crime of assassinating al-Arouri is serious and will not remain unpunished, and between us and them the field and the days,” he said.
‘Severe Blow’
Nasrallah stressed that the Al-Aqsa Flood operation launched by the Al-Qassam Brigades dealt a severe blow to the path of normalization with the Israeli occupation, and also deprived Israeli society of its confidence in its army and its political leaders, which affects the essence of the existence of the Zionist entity, as he worded it.
Nasrallah also stressed that the Israeli Air Force failed to resolve the battle in the Gaza Strip, and that three months of fighting, steadfastness and sacrifice proved to the Israeli occupation that the Palestinian people are determined to liberate their land.
In this just-released video, Al-Qassam Brigades fighters are seen bombarding a gathering of Israeli military vehicles and soldiers in the city of Khan Younis, in a joint operation with Al-Quds fighters. pic.twitter.com/Dp0wCKA02p
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 3, 2024
Regarding the ongoing clashes at the Lebanon-Israeli border, Nasrallah said that,
“So far, we are fighting on the front with controlled calculations, (and) we are paying a price with the lives of our young people; but if the enemy thinks of waging war on Lebanon, our fight will be without ceilings, without rules, without limits and without controls.”
Below are more excerpts from the Lebanese leader’s speech:
“We extend our condolences to our brothers in the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, and to the brave fighters of the Al-Qassam Brigades. Our condolences go to the resilient people of Gaza, the noble Jerusalem, the wounded West Bank, and to all factions and movements of resistance and jihad in Palestine.
“The criminal enemy, after ninety days of crime, murder, and destruction, failed to subdue Gaza, Khan Yunis, Jabaliya, and all the proud cities, (refugee) camps, and villages. The enemy now resorts to the policy of assassination and physical liquidation of anyone involved in the heroic Al-Aqsa Flood operation, contributing to the defense of the oppressed Palestinian people.
“We consider the assassination of Sheikh Saleh Al-Arouri and his martyred comrades in the heart of the southern suburbs of Beirut a serious attack on Lebanon, its people, security, sovereignty, Resistance ..
“We, in Hezbollah, affirm that this crime will never pass without a response and punishment. Our Resistance is steadfast, proud, committed to its principles, and bound by the obligations it has undertaken. Its hand is on the trigger, and its fighters are in the highest state of readiness. This fateful day will be followed by many more, so be patient.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
