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Hassan Nasrallah, the influential leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese paramilitary group Hizbollah, warned that his group would consider “all possibilities” in its ongoing hostilities with Israel along Lebanon’s border, but stopped short of declaring an all-out war.
Speaking for the first time since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted, Nasrallah said “all the options are on the table and we could go towards them at any point”, adding that “we should be ready for all future scenarios and options”.
In an unusual step, Hizbollah announced the speech five days in advance, and released several dramatic short clips of Nasrallah throughout the week, fuelling expectations that there would be a significant announcement.
Instead, Nasrallah delivered a fiery but carefully calibrated speech, in which he criticised Israel for its bombardment of Gaza, and threatened the US, which he said was “directly responsible” for backing Israel as it continued its “aggressions in Gaza”.
“Your threats on our region don’t work, your fleets in the sea never scared us,” Nasrallah said. “You Americans know well . . . the ones who will pay the price in the first degree are your interests and your soldiers.”
Hizbollah is one of the world’s most heavily armed non-state actors. In 2006, it withstood a 34-day conflict with Israel. Its thousands of fighters have since been hardened by the group’s involvement in Syria’s civil war.
In the lead-up to the speech, the group escalated the intensity of its attacks on its southern neighbour, saying it used explosive-laden drones and surface-to-air missiles for the first time, as well as launching simultaneous attacks on 19 Israeli army positions.
Hamas fighters in Lebanon, meanwhile, have also fired rockets at the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona. Israel responded with air strikes and artillery shelling of Lebanese border areas.
At least 56 of Hizbollah’s fighters have been killed in the cross-border fighting, the deadliest escalation since the 2006 war.
Israel declared war on Hamas in the wake of the October 7 assault by Gaza-based militants that killed 1,400 people, according to Israeli officials. Israel’s week-long bombardment of Hamas-controlled Gaza has killed more than 9,000 people, according to health officials in the Palestinian enclave.
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