Hezbollah Leader Taunts Israel and U.S. in First Speech Since Israel-Hamas War

In Beirut, jubilant gunshots echoed through the city as thousands gathered in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital on Friday. The crowd eagerly assembled in a square to witness a televised address by Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the militant Lebanese Hezbollah organization.
In his first speech since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict, Hassan Nasrallah taunted Israel and mentioned the presence of U.S. military deployments in the region. He stated that the U.S. fleets in the Mediterranean would not intimidate Hezbollah and that the organization is prepared for all potential scenarios.

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, emphasized that his formidable militia is currently involved in an unprecedented cross-border conflict with Israel and hinted at the possibility of further escalation. During his much-anticipated speech, Nasrallah stopped short of officially declaring Hezbollah’s full involvement in the Israel-Hamas conflict. In his televised address, Nasrallah made it clear that the fighting along the Lebanon-Israel border would not be confined to its current scale.

He praised the Hamas attack that occurred four weeks ago, during which the militants launched an assault on farming villages, towns, and military posts in southern Israel, resulting in more than 1,400 casualties.

Nasrallah attributed this large-scale operation entirely to Palestinian planning and execution, suggesting that his militia played no role in the attack. He also asserted that the events of October 7 demonstrated Israel’s perceived vulnerabilities and claimed that, after one month of conflict, Israel had failed to achieve any significant progress.