Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, on Tuesday evening confirmed that his terrorist group “clings to the historical moment to save Lebanon,” Lebanese media reported.
Stressing that war is not inevitable, Nasrallah reiterated his equation: “There is no oil extraction in the whole of the Israeli entity if Lebanon does not take its right.”
He then threatened: “We are not sure that we are going to war. We may witness a localized targeting and a response that suits it, and the matter is related to the Israeli response, which may turn matters into a war. But, on the other hand, the Israelis might submit even without war.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned Lebanon that Hezbollah’s aggression would not be tolerated (Israel Warns Lebanon Over Hezbollah ‘Aggression’).
Lapid and Gantz held an operational assessment of the northern front and spoke with senior commanders on location, less than a day after the latest attempt by Hezbollah to infiltrate Israeli airspace using a drone.
“The State of Israel is prepared to act against any threat,” Lapid said. “We do not seek confrontation but whoever tries to attack our sovereignty or Israeli citizens – will learn very quickly that they have made a serious mistake.”
Gantz said that “the state of Lebanon and its leaders are well aware that if they choose the path of fire – they will be severely burned. If they choose the path of stability, they will help the citizens of Lebanon.”
Nasrallah began his speech with an apology for his recent absence from the airwaves, saying he had been suffering from serious coughing bouts and had difficulty speaking. His speech Tuesday night was interrupted frequently with coughing.
