By Pishtaz | 2023-11-03

Breaking weeks of silence following the outbreak of war between Hamas and Israel, Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah made a rare public appearance on Friday (November 3) to deliver a speech on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

In a lengthy diatribe, Nasrallah lavished praise on Hamas while pointedly maintaining distance from the Palestinian militant group.

Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel from Gaza was "100% Palestinian," Nasrallah claimed, and was shrouded in secrecy "out of necessity."

Referring to the "glorious jihadi operation" as Al-Aqsa Flood, Nasrallah alleged that Hamas had "kept it secret even from Palestinian factions in Gaza, let alone the other groups."

The "element of secrecy was the linchpin" to its success, he said, adding that "that type of secrecy operated by [Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades -- the military wing of Hamas] did not anger us here; it was required as part of that action."

He stressed that the actions of Hamas were decisions made in the hands of their own leader and had "no relation at all to any international or regional issue."

And he claimed that despite the relationship Hamas has with Iran and its proxies, "they do not exercise any form or authority or mandate on these factions or their command, and what happened on Al-Aqsa Flood proves this fact."

"The true decision-makers are the leaders of the resistance themselves," he said, describing Hamas's terrorist attack as "a brave heroic creative massive event" that has exposed "the frailty of Israel."

Nasrallah said Hizbullah and other Iranian proxies immediately entered the fray on October 8 on Lebanon's southern border, a day after the Hamas assault on Israel.

Going forward, he said, "all scenarios are open on our Lebanese southern front," adding that the party and its allies are prepared and that "all options are laid out and we can adopt any at any point in time."

"Saluting" the actions of the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, who have fired drones towards Israel, he also suggested that if the war continues there will be no stop to the actions of Iranian proxies in the region.

Nasrallah lavished praise on Hamas for its actions of October 7, in which it killed more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and abducted more than 200, yet also called for an end to the war.

His speech came amid an uptick in cross-border violence, as Hizbullah on Thursday attacked 19 Israeli positions simultaneously from Lebanese soil and Israel responded with a "broad assault."

Rockets also hit the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona near the border in a barrage claimed by the Lebanese section of Hamas's armed wing.

Since Hamas staged its October 7 terrorist attack on Israel from land, air and sea, there have been widespread fears that the conflict will ignite a broader conflagration.

Lebanon does not want war

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati told AFP on Monday he was doing what he could to prevent his country from "entering the war" and warned of an escalation spreading in the "entire region."

Some analysts have said Hizbullah has little interest in becoming fully embroiled in a conflict that Israeli officials have threatened could destroy Lebanon.

Others say the decision lies with Iran, which leads the so-called regional "axis of resistance" against Israel.

Alongside Hizbullah, this includes armed groups from Syria, Iraq and Yemen, some of which have staged recent attacks Israel and US interests in the region.

Inside Lebanon, Hizbullah has "disrupted every aspect of political, judicial, and economic life according to a systematic plan," economist and Middle East affairs analyst Sami Nader told Al-Fassel.

All the Lebanese people want right now "is security, political and economic stability," he said. But Hizbullah is implementing "an Iranian agenda that has superseded the Lebanese interest" and has "weighed heavily on Lebanon."

High-ranking military officials, led by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani, have been present in Lebanon, and Iran has boasted that it controls four Arab capitals, with Beirut at the forefront, he said.

Hizbullah "has brought grave harm to the Shia community with its destructive actions in Lebanon and involvement in the region's conflicts," said Hussein Ataya, the coordinator of Shia opposition group Southerners for Freedom.

The Lebanese are paying the price for this, he said, and "yearn to live in security, stability and economic and political prosperity, and not engage in war and conflicts in which we have no stake."

'Finger on trigger'

Hizbullah on Wednesday published a letter from its fighters addressed to Palestinian groups in Gaza, saying they had their "finger with you on the trigger... to support Al-Aqsa mosque and our oppressed brothers in Palestine."

Hizbullah has mainly restricted itself to targeting Israeli observation posts, military positions and vehicles near the border as well as drones, using what it says have been anti-tank missiles, guided missiles and surface-to-air missiles.

Hizbullah receives financial support as well as weapons and equipment from Iran, and has built up its powerful arsenal since 2006.

For years, Nasrallah has boasted that his group's weapons could reach deep into Israeli territory.

"Each side is carefully measuring its actions and reactions to avoid a situation that may spin out of control and spread to the region," said Michael Young from the Carnegie Middle East Center.

But if Hizbullah fully entered the war, "Lebanon's devastation would turn most communities, perhaps even large segments of the Shia community," against it, he warned last week.

-- Nohad Topalian in Beirut contributed to this report.