Hezbollah's Nasrallah vows retaliation against Israel in major...

3^min

Following the assassinations of Fouad Shokor, one of the party's "great jihadist leaders," in an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in an attack in Tehran, along with the subsequent heightened fears of conflict emerging in the Middle East, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivered a speech focusing on his political stance regarding the recent events.

Concerning the Majdal Shams incident, Nasrallah affirmed, ''We firmly denied any responsibility. We have the courage to admit it if we were the ones behind the shelling."

Nasrallah added, ''What happened in the southern suburbs of Beirut was an act of aggression, and the Israeli side considered it a 'retaliation'. We completely reject this notion."

Nasrallah stated, "The sectarian conflict between the people of the Golan and their Druze allies on one side, and the Shiite community on the other, is an Israeli objective. One of the significant outcomes of the Al-Aqsa Flood was that it helped us move beyond the sectarian crisis."

He continued, ''You might 'laugh' now, but you'll end up regretting it when you realize the serious boundaries you've crossed."

He noted, ''The attack on the southern suburb of Beirut is not 'in retaliation' to the Majdal Shams incident, but rather part of the war and a 'retaliation' against the Lebanese front.''

''The Iranians believe that by assassinating Ismail Haniyeh, their sovereignty, national security, and dignity have all been violated,'' emphasized Hezbollah's Secretary-General.

During Shokor's funeral procession, he also said, "The aim of assassinating leaders is to weaken the group. However, based on our experience, the resistance has remained strong and unaffected."

He asserted, ''The conflict with the 'enemy' has shifted to a new phase."

Nasrallah pointed out, ''Whenever one of our leaders is martyred, we quickly fill the leadership position," and added, "We have an excellent new generation of fighters."

Nasrallah stated, "Surrendering is not an option for the resistance. The only solution is to end the aggression against Gaza."

Nasrallah affirmed that Israel should "expect our inevitable retaliation."

He affirmed, "Our daily operations will continue in support of Gaza and will not be in response to Shokor's assassination. However, the resistance must take action in retaliation for this killing."