‘Hamas negotiates on behalf of entire Resistance Axis’: Nasrallah
The Cradle, July 10, 2024 —
The Hezbollah chief stressed that Israeli leaders will take their nation to its ‘end’ if they decide to continue the war against Lebanon after a ceasefire is reached.
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said on 10 July that if Hamas reaches an agreement with Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza, the Lebanese resistance “will halt fire unconditionally.”
“If there is agreement, our front will halt fire unconditionally. Why? Because we are a support front, and we have been clear from the start,” Nasrallah said during a televised speech.
“Hamas is negotiating on behalf of the whole axis of resistance – whatever it agrees to, we will agree,” the resistance leader added.
“They update us and like to hear our opinions,” he continued. “We tell them to make the decision because we don’t want anyone to say our front is tired … we will continue fighting until needed.”
“If the Israelis decide to continue hostilities along the northern front – then we will defend south Lebanon, Lebanon, and our people – and we will not allow any aggression against Lebanon if there is a ceasefire in Gaza,” Nasrallah said, stressing he “doubts” Israel is likely to keep the front against Lebanon open once there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
“If [Israeli Prime Minister] Netanyahu decides to continue the war … he will take his entity [Israel] to its end,” the Hezbollah leader added.
Addressing Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Nasrallah said, “When your tanks appear on our borders, you know what awaits them. Our gunners are skilled, our fists are many, and our rockets are even more.”
Nasrallah also spoke about the recent targeted assassinations of top field commanders in south Lebanon by Israeli airstrikes, saying, “All our martyrs are martyrs for the sake of God, leaders, and guides on the path of honor, dignity, and pride.”
“Our commitment to the Al-Aqsa Flood battle was decisive from day one … We aimed to deplete the enemy’s capabilities, which has been achieved so far,” Nasrallah highlighted, adding that Hezbollah has been successful in preventing the Israeli army from “resolving the battle in Gaza, confirming that the north is linked to Gaza.”
“If calm is wanted in the north, the war in Gaza must stop,” Nasrallah declared.
His speech came one day after Hezbollah released a nine-minute video showing drone footage of sensitive Israeli army sites in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
The footage is a continuation of a Hezbollah video released on 18 June, which exposed sensitive sites across the northern occupied territories – including the port of Haifa and all the military sites, installations, and warships within it.
“The Hezbollah video conveys an unequivocal message to Israel, that the party is present inside Israel by the air, land, and sea, and is planning what comes next, and that is capable of carrying out severe strikes,” Israel’s Channel 14 news outlet said last month.
The Lebanese resistance launched its largest drone attack against Israel earlier this week, targeting a highly sensitive Israeli reconnaissance center on Mount Hermon in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
The attack was part of Hezbollah’s response to the assassination of one of its commanders on Saturday.