Hezbollah leader says Hamas assault on Israel was ‘100 per cent Palestinian’, warns of wider Middle East conflict

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, made his first public statement since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict. He asserted that the offensive initiated by the Hamas militant group against Israel was entirely orchestrated by Palestinians. Hezbollah, a formidable military force backed by Iran, has been engaging in combat with Israeli forces along the Lebanon-Israel border, marking the deadliest escalation since their war with Israel in 2006. Nasrallah commended the Hamas attack that occurred four weeks prior, where militants targeted agricultural villages and military posts in southern Israel, resulting in the death of more than 1,400 Israelis.

Nasrallah attributed the success of this large-scale operation to meticulous Palestinian planning and execution, implying that his militia, Hezbollah, had no involvement in the attack. He expressed gratitude towards groups in Yemen and Iraq, known collectively as the 'Axis of Resistance'. This includes Shi'ite Muslim Iraqi militias who have been launching attacks on US forces in Syria and Iraq, and Yemen's Houthis, who have entered the conflict by deploying drones against Israel. He stated that the October 7 operation triggered a significant upheaval in Israel and exposed the country's vulnerabilities.

Nasrallah also alluded to the potential for a broader conflict in the Middle East. He noted that Hezbollah's activities have been intensifying daily, compelling Israel to maintain its forces near the Lebanese border rather than the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. He issued a warning to Israel against launching an attack on Lebanon, stating that all options were on the table and that the prospect of open conflict was a realistic possibility. He held the United States accountable for the war in Gaza and the high civilian death toll, asserting that de-escalation in the besieged Gaza was crucial to avert a regional war. He claimed that America bears full responsibility for the ongoing war on Gaza and its inhabitants, with Israel merely serving as an instrument of execution. He added that Hezbollah was undeterred by the US naval firepower that has been amassed in the region since the onset of the crisis.