Gaza (TIP): Hassan Nasrallah, head of the pro-Iranian militia group Hezbollah, said the October 7 attack on Israel from Gaza was a “100% Palestinian operation” and that his group was not involved in it. But, in his first public speech since the attack, the Hezbollah leader accused the world of ignoring the plight of the Palestinian people and said a ‘big event’ was needed to refocus attention.
“This glorious, blessed, large-scale operation was 100% Palestinian in terms of decision and execution. They kept it secret from even their fellow resistance factions. The secrecy was a lynchpin to the success of this operation, unlike what is assumed by many. That kind of confidentiality and secrecy adopted by al-kasam was a requirement, it doesn’t anger us here,” Nasrallah said.
He said a big event was needed to bring everyone’s attention to what was happening in the region, and accused all major international organizations of ignoring the Palestinian cause.
“No one is moving a finger, UN, EU, League of Arab States, OIS, none is doing anything. All that is happening in Palestine is totally forgotten. The whole world has turned a blind eye to them. “The policies of the enemy are more oppressive. Therefore there is the need for a big event to shake this oppressive occupier with their backers in Washington and London, and to reopen peace and humanitarian issues in front of the whole world,” he said.
The speech was eagerly awaited to see if Hezbollah would open a second front against Israel.
The political-military group, with strong connections to Iran and based in Lebanon, is believed to have between 100,000 to 130,000 rockets aimed at Israel.
The secretary general of Hezbollah is considered by many to be the single most powerful individual in Lebanon with as many as 100,000 fighters at his disposal.
Meanwhile, Israeli military spokesman Lt Col Richard Hecht said the Israel Defense Forces are “deployed and ready” in the north, adding “we are in a defensive posture”.
“We’re saying to the Lebanese people – don’t sacrifice your future for Hamas.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Hezbollah it faces counter-strikes of “unimaginable” magnitude that will cause devastation in Lebanon.
On the Palestinian fighters, Nasrallah said they were heroes.
“We are entitled to take pride in them.. we can be certain that they are rewarded in paradise…They are alive…they are now alive in God’s paradise,” he said.
Hezbollah, like Hamas, has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and other countries. Nasrallah joined Hezbollah in 1982 after the Israeli invasion and occupation of southern Lebanon.
Rising through the organisation, he replaced Hezbollah’s leader Abbas al Musawi in 1992 after the latter and members of his family were assassinated in an Israeli airstrike.
In a number of interviews, Nasrallah has repeatedly refused to recognise the state of Israel, stating that he considers its existence to be unlawful and unjust.
In a month-long war in 2006, Israel Defence Forces were surprised by the quality of Hezbollah’s personnel and weapons as they used so-called “swarming” tactics to eliminate Israeli positions.
With financial support from Iran, Hezbollah has transitioned from a guerrilla outfit into something resembling a conventional army, with drones and rockets that can hit all parts of Israel, it claims. Since Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel’s subsequent bombing campaign and invasion of Gaza, fears have risen across the Middle East that Hezbollah will open a second front against Israel on its northern border, sparking a broader war.
(With inputs from agencies)