In major address, Hezbollah's Nasrallah honors Fouad Shokor and promises 'imminent response' to Israeli aggression - Key remarks

In a major speech a week after the assassination of Fouad Shokor in an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, which resulted in dozens of casualties, both killed and injured, Hezbollah Secretary-General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, stated that "the martyred commander was from the founding generation of the resistance, and he was also one of the founding leaders."

He added: "Sayyed Mohsen was one of the architects of the [major] victory in the year 2000, and the primary operations room was under his command during the July 2006 war."

Nasrallah affirmed that the "enemy might break the sound barrier during the speech to intimidate those present, demonstrating how petty it has become," after Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier over Lebanon on Tuesday, causing loud sonic booms.

The Hezbollah Secretary-General said, "Our loss is tremendous, but it does not shake us, weaken us, or cause us to hesitate. The evidence is in the operations we have carried out recently. The units once led by Sayyed Fouad continue to work, advance, and grow."

He added: "The martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh is a great loss for Hamas, the Palestinian resistance, and the 'Resistance Axis.' However, this does not [...] deter them, or weaken them. The proof is the ongoing resistance [...] in Gaza and the West Bank."

Sayyed Nasrallah emphasized: "The current circumstances help us understand the true objectives of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 'extremist' government. It is clear that Netanyahu does not want to end the war because his goal is to uproot the people of Gaza."

Hezbollah's Nasrallah further noted: "If Netanyahu and the Israeli-American alliance win, we will face the danger of Israel dominating the region."

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah labeled "American talk" about a Palestinian state as "hypocrisy and lies," noting that the US "reacts to votes for a Palestinian state with a veto, demonstrating their insincerity. This hypocrisy is also apparent in their dealings with Lebanon."

The Hezbollah Secretary-General indicated that "Israel is no longer as strong as it once was. The evidence is that during 'Operation True Promise,' the Americans, French, British, and some Arab countries had to defend the entity."

"While Israel's killing of Ismail Haniyeh and Fouad Shokor represents an achievement for them, it is not a definitive victory and does not settle the outcome of the battle," he added.

He urged the Lebanese people to understand the scale of the risks in determining the fate of the entire region. "You should fear an Israeli victory, not a victory by the resistance, which has triumphed before and has shared its successes with all the Lebanese," adding: "It is not required for Iran and Syria to enter the war, but they are expected to support us with moral, political, material, and military assistance, as well as with facilitations."

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah emphasized that the battle is both psychological and physical, involving weapons and bloodshed. "We are responding with calmness and bravery, not with agitation."

In his speech, he warned that "Israeli factories in the north could be destroyed within an hour."

Sayyed Nasrallah stated: "If Netanyahu's plan were to go to war with Lebanon, he would have already done so, as he does not require a pretext."

The Hezbollah Secretary-General concluded his speech by affirming that "our response is imminent, whether it comes as a unified action or as part of a broader response for the entire axis."