In a dramatic escalation of rhetoric from Lebanon, Hezbollah's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, issued a grave proclamation that would see the residents of northern Israel unable to safely return to their homes for the upcoming school year, should Israel continue its military operations in Gaza. This stark warning coincides with Hezbollah's rejection of a French proposal that was offered up as a means to deescalate the tensions between Lebanon and Israel as well as a severe intensification of hostilities, including barrages of hundreds of rockets from Lebanese positions into Israel.
As Hezbollah ramps up its rocket assaults, aligning closely with Hamas, the Lebanese group is evidently determined to deter any Israeli advancements in Lebanon. In a fervently nationalistic broadcast, Nasrallah declared an "unbreakable, eternal bond" between the Lebanese factions and Gaza, vowing relentless resistance against Israel as long as its operations in Gaza are sustained.
JUST IN
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 13, 2024
Hezbollahs Nasrallah: Hxmas has won pic.twitter.com/F8tbvRUGLK
"The connection between the Lebanese front and Gaza is absolute and irrevocable," Nasrallah stated emphatically. He also made a direct appeal to the Israeli displaced population: "To resolve this, approach your leaders and demand an end to the Gaza conflict."
This ongoing violence has already forced tens of thousands of Israelis to flee from areas near the border, stoking widespread anxiety about the potential for an expanded conflict involving the Islamist terror group backed by Iran and the Jewish State. Nasrallah's speech included a tone-deaf plea to displaced Israeli families, urging them to press their government to cease hostilities in Gaza to facilitate a safe return to their homes by September 1st, in time for the new school year.
#Nasrallah in his speech today: "#Israel is already defeated"
— FAFO Monitor (@monitor28179) May 13, 2024
Meanwhile #IDF in #Gaza today: https://t.co/xeVhFWcR9d
Hezbollah began launching rockets indiscriminately at Israel on October 8th. The rocket fire was unprovoked and was claimed to be in solidarity with Hamas's assault on Israel the day before. It was believed that Hamas launched their attack thinking Hezbollah would launch a full-scale assault on Israel's northern border, and while that has not happened as of yet, the rocket fire has caused serious damage and forced the displacement of close to one hundred thousand Israelis.
Israel has retaliated for much of the rocket fire with targeted strikes, typically taking out the launch sites of the rockets as well as drone strikes deep into Lebanese territory that have eliminated top Hezbollah commanders. It is believed that over 250 top commanders of the terror group have been eliminated by Israel, but that has not deterred the rockets from being fired.
Despite various international mediation attempts, including those by Egypt and Qatar, efforts to establish a ceasefire hit a wall last week when Hamas claimed to have accepted an offer Israel approved just as Israel seemed set to head into Rafah, but they deal they accepted was not the one Israel had consented to, and had significant changes in some of the key terms. Israel said the offer did not meet the minimal requirements, which was the return of 33 living hostages, a concession in itself that had been reduced from 40 live hostages. Hamas's offer was to return 33 bodies, some alive and some dead.
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— The National (@TheNationalNews) May 14, 2024
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Meanwhile, Israeli military forces have escalated their campaigns, targeting the ravaged northern regions of Gaza and enhancing their presence at the southern borders, deepening the scale of the military confrontation.
