– We are not afraid of war. We do not fear it. We are not indecisive. If we were, we would have stopped at the front. Many Lebanese listen when Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah speaks. On Wednesday evening, some Israelis probably listened to the televised speech as well. It is less than a day since Israel was accused of carrying out an attack deep inside Lebanese soil, in an area controlled by Hezbollah. There was therefore great tension attached to what Nasrallah was going to say and signal. Will Lebanon be drawn into the war between Hamas and Israel? Israeli aggression The speech was a tribute to Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian military leader who was killed in an American drone attack back in 2020. The Hezbollah leader nevertheless used the opportunity to comment on Israel’s war in Gaza, which has so far claimed the lives of at least 22,313 Palestinians. Israel has failed “humanely, morally, legally”, says Nasrallah, and that Israel is now seen as a country that kills and starves children and civilians. Among other things, he refers to opinion polls that illustrate a paradigm shift in the US, where support for the Palestinians is increasing among particularly young Americans. – This will have a major effect on the conflict and calculations in our region, said Nasrallah. Israeli aggression The Hezbollah leader also paid tribute to the Hamas operatives who were killed in an attack in southern Lebanon on Tuesday evening. The attack is a crime that cannot stand unanswered, according to Nasrallah. He warns Israel against starting a war against Lebanon. Nasrallah says they are not afraid of a full-scale war with Israel, that Hezbollah is willing to fight “without limitations”. More than 100 people are said to have been killed in an explosion in Iran. The incident is said to have occurred during a ceremony at the grave site of Qasem Soleimani. The Hezbollah leader says that Israel has not achieved any strategic victory in Gaza after three months of Israeli attacks from sea, air and land. – Last night they tried to present an image of victory with the treacherous assassination of Saleh al-Arouri. But where is it in Gaza? Can spin out of control An explosion hit Hamas’ office in Beirut on Tuesday evening. Israel is blamed for the attack, but denies that they are behind it. Among the six killed was Hamas liaison in Lebanon, Saleh al-Arouri. He was deputy head of the Hamas Politburo. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Saleh al-Arouri, deputy leader of Hamas, together before Arouri was killed. The photo has been provided to the media by Hezbollah. The time and place of the meeting has not been announced. Photo: – / AFP In Beirut, al-Arouri has in recent years acted as Hamas’ contact person to Hezbollah and the regime in Iran. A kind of ambassador for Hezbollah. Hezbollah is considered a significant power factor in the Middle East. They are believed to be in possession of a relatively large number of short- and medium-range missiles. In the past, Israel and the Shia Muslim movement have had some form of agreement on how they should attack each other, according to Prio researcher Jørgen Jensehaugen. Only targets close to the border between the two neighboring countries were accepted. The building in Beirut which, according to Lebanese media, housed Hamas’s office. Photo: ANWAR AMRO / AFP Israel may have broken that agreement, after the attack in the Hezbollah-controlled area of Beirut on Tuesday evening. Jørgen Jensehaugen is a senior researcher at the Peace Research Institute Prio. Photo: Høyskolen Innlandet – What Hezbollah considers the correct response to the attack in Beirut is uncertain, says Jensehaugen. Israel has long said that it is willing to take the fight against Hamas into the region, outside of Gaza and the West Bank. Tuesday’s attack in Beirut is proof that they are willing to carry it out, the Prio researcher points out: – What Israel has done here is something that quickly spins out of control.
ttn-69
– We are not afraid of war. – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
