Nasrallah threatens to retaliate against Israel
Hezbollah leader speaks following exchange of fire between IDF, Lebanese Army, says organization is prepared to help military, takes opportunity to accuse Israel of assassinating al-Hariri
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah spoke on Tuesday in Beirut in honor of four years passing since the Second Lebanon War. His speech was made just hours after a skirmish between the IDF and the Lebanese Army on the border claimed four lives.
Though Hezbollah apparently was not involved in the exchange of fire, the IDF noted after the incident the organization's growing influence over the Lebanese Army.
At the start of the his speech, Nasrallah said, "Today we are marking four years since the Lebanon's victory over the strongest and most terrorist military in the region."
However, the Hezbollah leader said, "I wanted to start on this topic, but what happened today on the border between Lebanon and Palestine, in which officers and soldiers from our national military fought a battle of heroism, necessitates mention of their strong stance and their sacrifice."
On the same note, Nasrallah continued, "Israel's aggression against Lebanon, its land, and its sovereignty never ceased, but continues in various ways. It has manifested itself in no less than 7,000 Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty since August 14, 2006, over which the world prefers not to open its mouth. These violations occur in the air, land, and sea, and what we saw today was just another expression of this."
Regarding the Second Lebanon War, Nasrallah accused the international community of "showing, for the most part, support for the Israeli enemy, whose plan was to crush us until we hand over our arms. Prof. Noam Chomsky also believes that the war was an American decision executed by Israel."
The Hezbollah leader said that his organization notified the Lebanese military during the first moments of the conflict that it is prepared to stand by its side with help in support during a conflict with the IDF.
"From the first moment, the opposition went on high alert in the region, followed all the events, and was in contact with the command headquarters. We notified the Lebanese military: We are prepared, we are with you, and we will help you with everything, if needed. Our people and our equipment stand at your disposal," Nasrallah said.
He also said that he updated the highest ranking officials in Beirut: "We also contacted the president, the parliament chairman, and the prime minister and updated them on this. We told them that we will not initiate any move, despite the painful images we saw. They asked for a quiet and responsible opposition. The message was clear to the Israeli enemy: Lebanon, all of Lebanon, will not leave any aggression on its occupied land unanswered and will stand by this courageously."
'Israeli hand will be cut off'
Nasrallah also addressed Israel. "You are the ones threatening war, but Lebanon is not afraid of confronting you. All of the military alignments you dealt with are above the surface, but they are within fortified embankments. Even though we don't have equipment on the same level, our fighters fight with courage and shocked them."
Nasrallah also threatened that Hezbollah "is on alert and is ready to help the military in all the villages on the front. We are not concerned and are not hysterical like their coward settlers. The nation, the opposition, and the military have paid in blood for this act of heroism, but they did not bear fruit.
"Officers and soldiers in the Lebanese military are our brothers and loved ones. How could it be that the opposition will sit with its armed crossed from now on as the military is bombed? I will saw honestly: We will not sit with arms crossed, and the Israeli hand outstretched to strike the Lebanese military will be cut off by the opposition."
'Exposing al-Hariri's true murderer'
As Hezbollah is in the crosshairs of the international tribunal into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, Nasrallah took the opportunity to accuse Israel of being responsible for the incident.
"The Israeli media gladly reports all kinds of speculations on the direction, in their opinion, Lebanon is headed," said Nasrallah.
After noting that he follows the Israeli press, the Hezbollah leaders said, "They speak of a big explosion, a civil war, crisis, and more. We want to expose the truth surrounding the circumstances of al-Hariri's death, something that from our perspective is the right of every Lebanese. We want to protect the unity of Lebanon and the well-being of its citizens."
He said, "This coming Monday, I will hold a press conference during which I will present evidence of Israel's involvement in the al-Hariri assassination and the goings-on in the international tribunal in The Hague. We will present significant proof that Israel, via its agents, tried to convince al-Hariri already in 1993 that Hezbollah wants to assassinate him. We blame the Israeli enemy for the assassination, and the figures I will reveal will open new horizons in the investigation that will lead to the identity of the true murderer."
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