During a meeting of “Israel’s” Conflict Zone Forum, the leaders of the Israeli northern settlements decided to announce the establishment of the State of Galilee and fully separate from “Israel”.
According to Israeli news website Walla!, the step is set to be announced on “Independence Day”. The media website explained that their decision was reached after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s dismissive response to Benny Gantz’s inquiry about settlers returning home for the school year, saying, “What would happen if they return a few months after September 1?”
This latest action follows the forum members’ publication of protest advertisements in early April, where they publicly solicited bids to “locate the Israeli government.”
As cited by Israeli media, the ads read, “A public tender to locate a government in Israel!” and “The Conflict Zone Forum hereby invites proposals to be submitted to an alternative government in Israel as detailed in the tender documents.”
Most significant was the ad which depicted the extent of the despair of Israeli settlers on the border with Lebanon that reads:
“The full details of the tender can be found in the evacuated hotels and the accommodation apartments of the displaced throughout the country, with the business owners who collapsed in the north, in the dead tourism areas in the north, and in the offices of the authorities in the north.”
In parallel with these claims, settlers from abandoned settlements in northern occupied Palestine are planning demonstrations on May 16 in al-Quds and Haifa, advocating against a political agreement with Hezbollah and calling for security to be brought back to their region through military means.
Nasrallah’s terror balance that ‘Israel’ can’t confront: Israeli media
A new balance of terror has emerged in the North, one that “Israel” cannot live with even for a “single hour,” an op-ed published by Israeli newspaper Maariv on Tuesday said.
Avi Ashkenazi, the military correspondent of the newspaper, recalled in his piece the course of confrontation, the balance of combat, and the rules of engagement between Hezbollah and the occupation since before the withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000.
“Any solution in the North requires decision-makers in Israel to work on dismantling this balance of terror,” the author began by warning.
According to the Ashkenazi, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was able, before the Israeli withdrawal, and over the years, to create engagement rules in his favor in the “security belt in Lebanon,” where “he decided that every Israeli attack on a civilian target would lead to rocket fire on Kiryat Shmona and settlements in the Galilee,” and that the targets of the rocket launches varied between “open areas and inhibited ones.”
Later, this led to the debate within the occupation entity about the withdrawal to intensify, he said.
Hezbollah has moved to counter Israel’s targeted killings strategy by hitting high-value Israeli assets and showcasing stunning intelligence-gathering feats meant to humble Tel Aviv.
On 17 April, Hezbollah launched a series of qualitative military operations on the western sector of the Lebanese–Israeli border, culminating in a sophisticated attack using guided missiles and an explosive-laden drone that struck the headquarters of an Israeli reconnaissance unit in the village of Arab al-Aramshe.
At 1:06 p.m., a report was received of a direct hit to a community center in the Arab Al Aramsha area. There are 6 injured, one of them in serious condition, another injured in moderate condition and the rest in light condition.
The attack resulted in 18 casualties, some serious, including an enemy general who succumbed to his wounds, according to Israeli reports.
The primary aim of these operations was to deliver a stern message to Israel: further targeted killings of Hezbollah members will not be tolerated. The resistance response was specifically provoked by the assassination of its fighters in the villages of Ain Baal and Chehabiya the previous day, where Israeli drone strikes martyred several fighters in quick succession.
Hezbollah strikes, Israel reacts
On the morning of the retaliatory operation, Hezbollah executed additional notable attacks in the western sector. These included striking the Branit barracks with a powerful Burkan missile and launching an Almas-3 missile at the Meron base’s air control unit, marking the first reported use of this missile with a range exceeding 10 kilometers.
The attack also destroyed an AN/TPQ-37, a radar crucial for detecting projectiles and identifying their origins.
Despite its initial reluctance, the Israeli military acknowledged the operation, following the overwhelming evidence presented in numerous video recordings. The operation, as with many by Hezbollah as of late, was a qualitative response, drawing significant media attention and analysis in Israel.
Prominent commentators noted that Hezbollah had effectively circumvented Israeli warning systems and struck at will, indicating that previous assassinations by Israel did not deter Hezbollah’s strategic operations.
The Arab al-Aramshe operation is being carefully analyzed by Israeli media, both concerning Hezbollah’s tactics and Israel’s responses. Israel’s Channel 12 outlet, in particular, emphasized two major points:
First, Hezbollah learns rapidly from past engagements and introduces new tactics and weapons into the battlefield. This was demonstrated by its deployment of heavy Burkan missiles against Israeli army bases, marking a shift in its approach and showcasing its ability to innovate and apply new technologies in combat scenarios.
Second, the Lebanese resistance movement’s ability to effectively combine multiple weapon systems simultaneously to target a specific location was also noted. This strategy aims to overwhelm the enemy’s defensive measures and maximize impact.
Further insight was provided by a military correspondent from the Hebrew newspaper Makor Rishon, who pointed out that Israel’s numerous assassinations of Hezbollah members have neither deterred nor significantly affected the organization’s ability to carry out sophisticated strikes against sensitive Israeli military points.
Essentially, the Hebrew media depiction paints a picture of concern over the Israeli army’s current military strategies and their effectiveness. Streams of articles now conclude that neither deep raids into Lebanese territory nor the targeting of Hezbollah’s operational capabilities has prevented the organization from accessing and utilizing advanced weaponry or executing coordinated attacks.
Hezbollah’s intelligence gathering
The intelligence capabilities of Hezbollah are clearly robust and have been cultivated over many years. This level of intelligence gathering has been highlighted by the group’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, who once pointedly messaged the Israelis:
It is not important what you know about the resistance, but what the resistance knows about you.
The Arab al-Aramshe operation is a compelling illustration of these capabilities. Hezbollah’s prior knowledge of a relatively new reconnaissance site and subsequent successful strike showcase its meticulous intelligence work.
This is by no means an isolated case; similar intelligence-driven operations have targeted other critical Israeli military assets, including operational headquarters and Iron Dome positions across different locations.
Hezbollah has also been able to identify and strike at highly sensitive and less visible targets. This includes military bases like the “Yaav” base and the “Kila” barracks in the occupied Golan Heights, known to be the headquarters of Israel’s air and missile defense command. These sites were specifically targeted following the return of forces from the Golani Brigade, who were training there after committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
The complexity of Hezbollah’s intelligence operations lies in its clarity and ambiguity. While the targets of its operations are clear, how it gathers such detailed and specific intelligence remains largely undisclosed and mysterious.
This capability to identify and act upon vulnerabilities deep within Israeli territory points to a sophisticated network of intelligence gathering and analysis, likely involving both technological surveillance and human intelligence.
Raising the stakes
Hezbollah aimed to achieve several objectives through the combined strike in Arab al-Aramshe. These goals include deterring Israel’s assassinations of resistance fighters and asserting the resistance’s focus on hitting significant, high-value targets to inflict substantial losses.
Additionally, Hezbollah demonstrated its capability to gather detailed intelligence, enabling it to pinpoint sensitive and strategic enemy locations.
The escalation of resistance activities aims to set boundaries for the Israeli military, which has continued its strategy of assassinations and attacks against Lebanese civilians and state agricultural areas. Moreover, these actions on the Lebanese front are designed to bolster and support the resistance in the Gaza Strip.
It is through the deployment of various weapons and military tactics that Hezbollah continues to pursue its objective of challenging and restraining Israeli aggression toward Lebanon while simultaneously supporting the Palestinian resistance in Gaza – both politically and militarily – since the launch of Al-Aqsa Flood last year.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.
At the heart of the Axis of Resistance is the struggle for a free Palestine, and all unfolding events are interconnected to serve that larger goal. (Illustrated by Hady Dbouq for Al Mayadeen English)
The escalating confrontations in the West Bank are intricately linked to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the Axis of Resistance’s support for Palestine, and Iran’s retaliatory operation, True Promise.
In recent months, the West Bank has witnessed a disturbing trend: a surge in attacks by settlers targeting Palestinian individuals and villages. While this pattern of aggression is not novel within the context of “Israel’s” policy of ethnic cleansing, its intensified manifestation, often concealed under the pretext of incidents such as the disappearance of a settler near Ramallah, underscores the volatile aftermath of Operation al-Aqsa Flood.
Amidst this backdrop, the launch of Operation al-Aqsa Flood emerges as a watershed moment that reaffirms the cause of Palestine as a central Arab and Islamic one, especially amid the existing critical juncture on the global scale.
Though carried out by the al-Qassam Brigades, this operation is like a sprout from the deep roots of the ongoing battle for Palestine’s freedom, led by what has become known as the Axis of Resistance.
Spanning from the Mashreq to the Maghreb (Orient to the Occident), across the breadth of the Arab and Islamic worlds, the events unfolding in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and throughout occupied Palestine have ignited a widespread response. These developments have set off a chain reaction, leading to escalations not only within the West Bank but also beyond, fueled by “Israel’s” “campaigns between wars.”
This campaign precipitated Iran’s remarkable retaliation following an Israeli assault on its consulate in Damascus. Understanding these unfolding events requires contextualizing them within the broader geopolitical landscape, where regional power dynamics intersect with longstanding conflicts and resistance movements.
Israeli settlers expelled under Resistance fire
Since October 7, the Israeli government has made public the displacement of over 250,000 Israeli settlers from their settlements. These settlements, largely constructed on land ethnically cleansed of its indigenous Palestinian and Arab communities, have become targets of Resistance operations spanning both northern and southern regions of occupied Palestine.
In the south, particularly in the Gaza envelope, where Palestinians besieged in the Gaza Strip once resided, a comprehensive evacuation has taken place after the Palestinian Resistance breached the Israeli separation walls and entered the settlements before showering its vicinity with missiles that have even reached “Tel Aviv” on multiple occasions.
The evacuation has significantly reduced the presence of settlers along the borders of the besieged Strip. Many settlers have relocated to central “Israel”, while others have scattered throughout the occupied territories. Some have chosen to return to their countries of origin, primarily in Europe or the Americas, based on their nationality prior to settling in “Israel”.
In the north, Resistance operations, spearheaded by Hezbollah and other factions, compelled Israeli settlers to evacuate settlements bordering Lebanon by a depth of 5 to 8 kilometers as reportedly revealed by Israeli journalists and Resistance sources.
While unprecedented since the so-called inception of “Israel”, these evacuations were anticipated. Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah previously underscored that in the next war with “Israel”, settlers would be forced to abandon their settlements, and while this is not even a widescale war, his words proved to be true once again. This strategic shift aims to bring the conflict to “Israel” rather than allow “Israel” to instigate hostilities against Lebanon, as it did in 2006 and 2000.
As Israeli deterrence erodes, it becomes increasingly apparent to settlers that they face an irreversible choice: either leave occupied Palestine or occupy another Palestinian home elsewhere in occupied Palestine.
Making up for what was lost on October 7
Israeli settlers faced a new reality following October 7, even vis-a-vis their daily life. Displaced settlers are now facing declining living standards after having initially migrated to “Israel” in pursuit of the material gains they had been promised once they settled in
Instead, settlers are now struggling, not even to preserve their privileges against indigenous Palestinians, but to merely meet their daily needs as they lose their homes and the rest of the material gains they were promised at a time when the IOF has clearly failed to achieve any of its goals in the Strip or across the Northern Front – another issue which eliminates hope for Israeli settlers that things could get better in the foreseeable future.
IOF-backed Israeli settlers attacked several villages and towns in the occupied West Bank on Saturday and opened fire on Palestinians and their properties.
Among the villages targeted by the settlers were Duma, Baytin, Turmusaya, Atara, and Deir Dibwan east of the Ramallah and… pic.twitter.com/s8iawFvFyH
Moreover, with the erosion of Israeli deterrence, settlers, once assured of their superiority over other regional powers such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran, to name a few, now seethe with fury at their expulsion from territories they occupied during the 1948 Nakba and the 1967 Six-Day War. This resentment has boiled over, leading to a surge in attacks on Palestinian residents of the West Bank, surpassing previous levels of violence and reoccurring at a more frequent rate.
Simultaneously, Israeli occupation influencers-turned-government officials like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have spearheaded efforts to arm all settlers, going beyond the usual military program enforced upon Israeli settlers. The arming, which came under the guise of “fighting terrorism”, aims to revive historic terrorist Zionist organizations such as the Haganah, which conducted the initial Nakba in 1948, killing hundreds and thousands of Palestinians on purely racist grounds to occupy their homes and lands.
It’s crucial to recognize that “Israel’s” ethnic cleansing policies, which intensified notably after the events of Seif al-Quds in 2021 and further escalated following October 7, have emboldened settlers to perpetrate the same crimes of genocide as the Israeli occupation Forces are conducting the Gaza Strip [Over 33,000 martyrs] and the same crimes as the Haganah did in 1948.
Since Friday evening, Israeli settlers have been storming several towns of the occupied West Bank, vandalizing and setting houses and vehicles on fire and physically assaulting Palestinian civilians. pic.twitter.com/OMFa9ZwP0E
Next stop on the path towards liberation: West Bank, East Bank
Looking for alternatives as the Israeli cities become overcrowded and the economy crumbles, settlers go stealing Palestinian homes and ethnically cleansing entire villages to accommodate their needs. This is not new, as we all remember the Israeli proverb put forward by the settler Yacob: “If I don’t steal it, someone else is gonna steal it.”
The killing of Palestinians and the destruction of their homes by settlers, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, is fueling anger among the Palestinian people. This anger is exacerbated by the Israeli occupation government’s continuous announcement of new land seizures, extending over dozens of dunums in the West Bank, and even in al-Quds’ Sheikh Jarrah.
Coupled with widespread detention campaigns, assassinations, military raids, and other oppressive practices, this situation is pushing people toward embracing armed Resistance as the only means to achieve a free Palestine and live with dignity.
It is also important to note that in the West Bank, the Resistance has already begun establishing liberated zones, particularly across the triangle of hell: Jenin, Nablus, and Tulkarm. However, recent settler attacks have targeted areas in the Ramallah and Nablus governorates, farther from the refugee camps where the Resistance has garnered strong popular support and found a conducive environment to thrive.
This escalation is likely to ignite a widespread intifada across the West Bank, to expand the operation that was launched on October 7, bringing the war to the heart of occupied Palestine. This is especially likely given that the settler attacks are being conducted under the supervision of the IOF who have besieged multiple cities. These aggressions remain ongoing today, four days on, without stopping except when the Iranian missiles shook “Israel”.
The consequences of such an intifada, given its existential nature, may also provoke unrest across the East Bank of the Jordan River, where approximately 80% of the population is Palestinian.
Iran’s retaliation in context
In turn, Iran’s retaliation can be seen in the context of the West Bank and the historic struggle for the liberation of Palestine and the ending of Western hegemony in the region. This retaliation on Israeli-occupied Palestine consolidated the Axis of Resistance as a series of interconnected rings that had both the military capability and the strategic patience to coordinate operations to achieve a unified goal of an Israeli demise and ultimately US containment in the region.
As such, Iran’s successful cornering of the US and “Israel” in a well-calculated, below-threshold, but fully effective response, has underscored a new era in the struggle for the liberation of Palestine.
This new era grants the Palestinian Resistance a larger margin of operation and limits if not ends “Israel’s” renowned “Campaign Between Wars” which was started in 2013 to “address Iran’s growing threat” following the start of the war on Syria. This means that Israeli deterrence has fallen even deeper than it has on October 7 with Hamas and on October 8 with Hezbollah and later in the face of Yemen and others.
To better understand the depth of that, one must look at Iran’s unprecedented retaliation against “Israel” following an attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. The retaliation, in fact, underscored the strategic maneuvering at play within the Axis of Resistance.
It stressed that beyond its primary objective of Palestinian liberation, this coalition seeks to dismantle the enduring legacies of colonialism and imperialism, epitomized by pivotal agreements like the Balfour Declaration, which allowed for the establishment of the Israeli occupation as a barrier “state” on occupied Palestinian soil with the aim of expansion and the Sykes-Picot Accords which partitioned the region into multi-purpose entities that serve colonialism.
Amidst escalating tensions and deepening geopolitical fault lines, it is impossible to understand unfolding events without delving into the complex and multifaceted dynamics of the existential war taking place at the heart of the Arab world; the war of the unmaking of the Sykes-Picot Accords.
In a more simplified way, one can explain the broader situation by saying that the Axis is determined to give the US and “Israel” a run for their money in the region. The Resistance movements in the region, backed by Iran and Syria, have one big mission: free Palestine and take down those pesky imperialist structures that have been causing trouble in the Arab and Islamic worlds.
Keep the big picture ahead, save your rage for the right time
Despite the ongoing genocide in which “Israel” has been targeting unarmed civilians, the Resistance continues to stand strong. It continues to conduct ambushes unimaginable by the Israeli occupation forces claiming their lives a dozen at a time.
As the leaders of the Palestinian Resistance have reportedly underscored, be it al-Qassam Brigades or al-Quds Brigades or others, Iran and the Axis of Resistance, especially Syria and Hezbollah, have played a key role in strengthening and transferring expertise to the Strip.
Much like in the Strip, the Axis of Resistance has no intention of allowing the West Bank and its Resistance to be wiped out and has a few tricks up its sleeve to turn the table on “Israel” and the West.
In this context, it must be remembered that the struggle to liberate Palestine extends beyond the entity of Palestine as drawn by the Sykes-Picot Accords but involves the re-emergence of the historic Arab world with Palestine as the compass that has the ability to achieve that through the demise of the barrier “state” otherwise known as “Israel”.
In such situations, events unfold relatively quickly; however, there is no benefit in rushing liberation. Rather it is required to mature slowly in the sense that it becomes inevitable.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah stressed on Monday that the Israeli folly of striking the Iranian consulate in Damascus and assassinating the top military advisor General Mohammad Reda Zahedi and his martyred companions pushed the US President Joe Biden to impose certain limits on Netanyahu’s adventure in Gaza.
Sayyed Nasrallah cited Zionist analysts as describing the airstrike on the consulate as a major folly, adding that the Israeli officials may have fallen in the miscalculation that Iran would not respond.
US, ‘Israel’ and the whole world have yielded to the fact that Iran has the right to respond to the Zionist crime and will respond, Hezbollah Chief said.
In this regard, Sayyed Nasrallah explained the nature of the Iranian military role in Syria, confirming that only advisors are deployed in order to carry out certain missions and denying the deployment of troops.
His eminence added that the IRGC military advisors in Syria have been always targeted by the Israeli air raids aimed at expelling them and eradicating their role in that country.
Sayyed Nasrallah noted that all the diplomatic missions in the world include military attaches and advisors, yet that the Israeli enemy tried to promote the false claim of striking Iranian troops in Syria.
One of the Gulf states provided Saddam Hussein with 200 billion dollars to fund his war on Iran, Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding that, had such an amount of money been granted to the serious resistance groups, ‘Israel’ would not be in existence nowadays.
The need of the popular resistance to face the the Zionist enemy made the IRGC cadres train the fighters, provide consultations, grant the logistical support, and convey the expertise to all the resistance groups, according to Sayyed Nasrallah who confirmed that the IRGC advisors were not tasked with fighting the Israeli enemy in the battlefields.
Even upon the eruption of the crisis in Syria, Iran sent military advisors, not troops, Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding that only resistance groups in the region decided to support Syria in face of the terrorist groups.
‘Israel’ participated in the war in Syria through supporting the terrorist groups by all means, according to Sayyed Nasrallah who recalled the Zionist financial, medical, and military support to takfiri groups.
Sayyed Nasrallah also denied the false claims that Iran controls the government in Syria, stressing that the IRGC advisors have just supported Syria against the terrorist groups.
Martyr Zahedi
In his twenties, Hajj Zahedi was one of the warriors against Saddam Hussein’s war and gained a great military expertise, which enabled him to be promoted to high ranks, according to Sayyed Nasrallah.
Hajj Zahedi became the commander of the IRGC airforce before turning to be the commander of the IRGC ground troops, Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding that the martyr was then promoted to be the commander of all IRGC operations.
Sayyed Nasrallah indicated that Hajj Zahedi started his jihadi journey when General Qassem Suleimani appointed him as the IRGC commander in Lebanon and Syria in 1998 for four years.
Hajj Zahedi followed up the liberation in 2000 and the period of preparing the military capabilities to face any Zionist aggression on Lebanon, Sayyed Nasrallah said.
“We expected that the Zionists will take the revenge and wage a war on Lebanon.”
After the martyrdom of Hezbollah military commander Hajj Imad Mughniyeh in 2008, Hajj Zahedi was appointed to be the IRGC commander in Lebanon and Syria for six years, Sayyed Nasrallah said.
After the martyrdom of Hajj Qassem Suleimani in 2020, Hajj Zahedi was appointed again as the IRGC commander in Lebanon and Syria till he was assassinated, Sayyed Nasrallah added.
Sayyed Nasrallah underlined the modesty, baldness, loyalty, and bravery of Hajj Zahedi, noting that he used to attend the scene amid all conditions.
Sayyed Nasrallah narrated how Hajj Zahedi was committed to the path of martyrdom, adding that the martyr wanted to join the resistance fighters in their border battle against the Israeli enemy since October 7.
Hezbollah Chief said that Hajj Zahedi abandoned all ranks in Iran and came to the jihadi field in Lebanon in order to embrace martyrdom.
Israeli War on Gaza
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah cited Israeli interpretations of the outcomes of the Zionist war on Gaza, stressing they highlight the enemy’s area in this regard.
Sayyed Nasrallah pointed out that the Israeli interpretations mention the various failures of the Zionist enemy after six months of the war, including the prisoners issue, missile fire from the Strip, Rafah operation, deaths, evacuation of settlements, diplomatic collapse, economic complication, political and social woes.
Sayyed Nasrallah also cited a survey conducted by Maariv which indicated that 62% of the respondents are not satisfied with the outcomes of the war.
Out of context, Netanyhau claims that he is one step away from the victory, Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding that the Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant alleged that his troops defeated Hamas just hours before the Zionist withdrawal from Khan Younis.
“Gallant is also detached from the realities.”
Sayyed Nasrallah said that the IOF managed only to commit a genocide and cause a massive destruction and failed to reach any target.
Sayyed Nasrallah maintained that, amid this military failure and the Iranian consulate folly in Syria, Biden held a phone call with Netanyhau to warn him against the continuation of the war on Gaza.
According to the White House statements and the US media, Biden asked Netanyahu to take certain measures pertaining to the killing of the relief workers, Sayyed Nasrallah said.
Just hours later, the IOF Chief of Staff sacked two officers and rebuked three others, Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding that even the aid corridors issue was decided during the phone calls, according to the US reports.
Hezbollah Chief emphasized that the US administration’s conduct proves that it can force the Israelis to stop the war whenever they decide, highlighting the major role of Biden in the ceasefire talks.
Sayyed Nasrallah considered that the Israeli military withdrawal from South Gaza was surprising, adding that the Israelis wanted to avoid making concessions in the ceasefire talks since the withdrawal is one of the basic terms of Hamas in the negotiations.
Hermes-900
Hezbollah leader stressed that, when the Islamic Resistance downed Hermses-450 drone, the enemy bombed Bekaa, adding that the Resistance responded by firing missiles at Golan.
Bekaa-Golan formula has been maintained since then, Sayyed Nasrallah maintained.
Sayyed Nasrallah indicated that the Islamic Resistance will certainly cross the Israeli red lines amid the Zionist violations, adding that the enemy would understand the deployment of the Resistance defenses on the Southern Front as it wants.
Lebanese Forces and Kataeb
On the anniversary of the civil war in Lebanon, Sayyed Nasrallah asked the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb about the war’s decision making at that time.
Sayyed Nasrallah indicated that such political always question the resistance about the war decision making and its costs, while they involved Lebanon in a costly civil war.
Sayyed Nasrallah also commented on the kidnap incident in Jbeil city, adding that Lebanese Forces and Kataeb’s reaction is a scandal.
Sayyed Nasrallah maintained that grudge, foolishness and connections with foreign schemes have been behind those parties’ anti-Hezbollah accusations.
Sayyed Nasrallah hailed the role of the Lebanese army and security forces in uncovering the culprits in the crime, which frustrates the scheme of accusing Hezbollah of being behind the kidnap crime and stirring sedition.
Sayyed Nasrallah, finally, warned against the threats sent to some of Jbeil locals after the kidnap incident, asserting that this is a very serious issue.
Early this Friday morning, a Palestinian young man identified as Saed Abu Alawi was shot dead by Israeli occupation forces after they raided the Nour Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarm city in the occupied West Bank. Several others were detained during the raid.
According to Palestinian medical sources in Tulkarm, 31-year-old Palestinian Sa'id Abu 'Aliwwah was shot twice in the head by Israeli snipers while filming the Israeli raid from his rooftop in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. The raid occurred this morning. pic.twitter.com/CkKFQmbTjS
Reports indicate that Abu Alawi was shot by an Israeli sniper in the chin and neck while on the rooftop of his home, leaving behind a wife and an unborn child.
The raid was reportedly conducted by undercover Israeli occupation police officers in the nearby town of Tulkarm to apprehend three wanted Palestinians. However, the incursion led to intense confrontations with Palestinian resistance fighters, including the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades – Rapid Response Group, who successfully repelled the Israeli occupation forces using live ammunition and explosives.
As the Israeli occupation military faced heavy Resistance fire, they were forced to retreat from the camp. In a simultaneous raid on the Jenin refugee camp, at least two Palestinians were injured, with one in critical condition. The violence sparked confrontations in the town of Kafr Rai, where additional arrests were made.
Israeli occupation forces raid Kafr al-Labad village, east of occupied Tulkarm city. pic.twitter.com/Olhl4j7UBU
Furthermore, Israeli occupation forces assaulted worshippers at the al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied al-Quds, firing tear gas canisters and detaining several individuals.
Israeli occupation forces assault worshipers en route to the Al-Aqsa Mosque for Friday prayers, arresting some of them at the gates in occupied Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/Rmxr7QhSxO
The brutal crackdown on Palestinians continues, with over 457 killed and 8,030 detained since the start of the Gaza genocide.
West Bank | The Israeli occupation forces deployed drones to fire tear gas bombs at worshippers on the grounds of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem pic.twitter.com/K453krz7qN
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah stressed on Friday that Iran’s retaliation for targeting its consulate in Syria earlier this week is inevitable.
In a masss ceremony marking International Al-Quds Day in Beirut’s southern suburb (Dahiyeh), Sayyed Nasrallah said that the Israeli folly committed in the Iranian consulate in Damascus will lead to victory and enable the Axis of Resistance of having the final word in the battle.
The Lebanese resistance leader dismissed Israeli threats of waging an inclusive war against Lebanon, saying: “They (Israelis) don’t know what to do in Gaza and want to attack Lebanon!”
His eminence, meanwhile, reiterated that Hezbollah is fully ready to confront any Israeli war on Lebanon, stressing that the resistance never fears the war.
Sayyed Nasrallah assured that after six months of the war on Gaza, the Israeli enemy faces failures and is neither capable of destroying Hamas nor capable of releasing captives captured by the Palestinian resistance during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
He stressed that Op. Al-Aqsa Flood is a critical juncture that has put the Israeli existence in danger.
Iranian Retaliation
Starting his speech, Sayyed Nasrallah offered condolences over martyrdom of top IRGC generals in the Israeli strike which targeted the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus last Monday.
He lauded top general Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who was martyred in the Israeli strike, as a commander who had favor upon Hezbollah and contributed to the development of the Lebanese resistance.
Sayyed Nasrallah announced that a ceremony will be held next Monday (April 8) in honor of the Iranian generals martyred in the Israeli strike on the Islamic Republic’s consulate in Damascus.
“The attack on the Iranian consulate is a pivotal moment in this battle.”
His eminence then elaborated on Iran’s support to Al-Quds and Palestine, saying that founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Sayyed Ruhollah Mousavi Khomeini had a clear and firm stance towards the Palestinian cause.
He noted that the Islamic Republic’s unwavering support to Palestine is one of the prominent causes behind the wars waged against Iran.
“The Islamic Republic offered enormous sacrifices on economic, political and security levels because of this position.”
Sayyed Nasrallah then lashed out at those who claim that Iran is engaged in talks with the United States on several files regarding regional issues.
“The US has repeatedly voiced desire to hold talks with Iran but the Islamic Republic was reluctant. Iran has not compromised and will never do so on the regional issues.”
“Relation with Iran is a source of pride, those who must feel ashamed are those who seek to normalize ties with the Zionist entity,” Sayyed Nasrallah stressed.
Video subtitled by Mohammad Salami
Sayyed Nasrallah stressed then that “Iran’s retaliation to the Israeli strike on Syria consulate is inevitable.”
“The folly committed by Netanyahu through targeting the Iranian consulate in Syria will hopefully lead to end this battle and emerge victorious.”
“The timing of the Iranian response is part of the battle, but the timing, place and size of the response are in the hands of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei and the Iranian leaders.
Israeli Failure in Gaza
Sayyed Nasrallah noted that “International Al-Quds Day is different this year as it comes six months after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” on October 7.
He described the heroic operation in which hundreds of Hamas resistance fighters invaded Gaza envelope settlements and captured more than 200 Israelis as a “a critical juncture that has put the Israeli existence in danger.”
The Hezbollah leader stressed that six months after the brutal Israeli war on Gaza, Zionist officials are not able to secure the goals they had set at the start of the aggression.
“Six months following the war, (Israeli PM Benjamin) Netanyahu, (DM Yoav) Gallant and other Israeli officials are still out of their minds.”
Nasrallah to Netanyahu: whether or not you go to Rafah you have lost the war. No Israeli military objectives were reached in six months, and they hide their own casualties. https://t.co/MUwK7MwLWCpic.twitter.com/fqHpfx97M5
“Netanyahu has no choice but to stop the war, and this is a mere defeat.”
Resistance Fully Ready
Sayyed Nasrallah, meanwhile, hit back at Israeli threats of an inclusive war against Lebanon. He dismissed such threats, wondering how the Israeli would attack Lebanon if they already don’t know what to do in Gaza and how to deal with failures there.
His eminence stressed that the Lebanese front “won’t be closed as it is highly linked to Gaza,” affirming that “this is a firm decision.”
He stressed that the Resistance in Lebanon is fully ready and its morale is in large sense.
“We haven’t used our major weapons yet. Our fighters are going on their home leave as usual.
“The Resistance in Lebanon doesn’t fear war, we are fully ready to engage in a war that the enemy will regret.”
“The enemy knows well what a war with Lebanon means, if they want war then hello and welcome!”
Sayyed Nasrallah affirmed that the resistance in Lebanon we will proceed with this battle until victory, stating: “Great victory is awaiting the Axis of Resistance.”
Nasrallah to Netanyahu: whether or not you go to Rafah you have lost the war. No Israeli military objectives were reached in six months, and they hide their own casualties. https://t.co/MUwK7MwLWCpic.twitter.com/fqHpfx97M5
Sayyed Nasrallah, meanwhile, hit back at Israeli threats of an inclusive war against Lebanon. He dismissed such threats, wondering how the Israeli would attack Lebanon if they already don’t know what to do in Gaza and how to deal with failures there.
His eminence stressed that the Lebanese front “won’t be closed as it is highly linked to Gaza,” affirming that “this is a firm decision.”
He stressed that the Resistance in Lebanon is fully ready and its morale is in large sense. “We haven’t used our major weapons yet. Our fighters are going on their home leave as usual. “The Resistance in Lebanon doesn’t fear war, we are fully ready to engage in a war that the enemy will regret.”
“The enemy knows well what a war with Lebanon means, if they want war then hello and welcome!”
Sayyed Nasrallah affirmed that the resistance in Lebanon we will proceed with this battle until victory, stating: “Great victory is awaiting the Axis of Resistance.”
“Six months on the war, Netanyahu is neither capable of destroying Hamas nor capable of releasing the captives,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, stressing that the Israeli atrocities carried out in Gaza are out of failure and lack of options.
“The Israeli enemy has no idea about the post-war scenario in Gaza, Netanyahu has no political horizon. He can neither solve Israeli internal problems, nor deal with the political isolation the Zionist entity faces worldwide.
“Netanyahu has no choice but to stop the war, and this is a mere defeat.”
🔴LIVE: Secretary General of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivers speech on Intl. Quds Day #QudsDay2024https://t.co/KnBvXK77Az
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah addressed on Friday the worshippers in Beirut’s Dahiyeh and elsewhere marking the First Night of Al-Qadr (Night of Power), tackling the various religious aspects of the occasion.
In this regard, Sayyed Nasrallah underlined the importance prayers and resorting to the divine power in order to face the earthly challenges, including the current confrontation with the Israeli enemy in Lebanon, Gaza and other areas.
Sayyed Nasrallah ridiculed the antagonistic propaganda which claims that calling for prayers reflects Resistance weakness in the battlefield, adding that reading a prayer is vital during the time of woes and bliss similarly.
Holy God’s support has always helped us to defeat the Israeli enemy despite the discrepancy of the military capabilities, Sayyed Nasrallah said.
Having established a 1:1 kill ratio in the past six months of border clashes, Hezbollah has now set its sights on high-value Israeli targets to counter Tel Aviv’s strikes into Lebanon’s geographic depth.
Since 8 October, more than 230 Israeli soldiers have been killed by Hezbollah fighters in cross-border operations against the occupation state, according to field data obtained by The Cradle.
This suggests that the Lebanese resistance has achieved parity in the number of forces killed by both sides during the past six months of military clashes.
This feat is as significant as it is impressive, given that “relatively poorly armed and usually outnumbered popular resistance forces never achieve a 1:1 ratio against high-tech, heavily weaponized colonialist and neo-colonialist forces,” as noted by one analyst in the aftermath of Israel’s 2006 war on Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s new ‘targets ratio’
While Hezbollah honors the martyrdoms of its fallen fighters by disclosing both name and number, the Israeli military tightly controls its casualty information flow, masking the true extent of its losses and downplaying the significance of crucial Israeli installations struck by Hezbollah drones and missiles in the country’s northern front.
Recent reports suggest258 Hezbollah fighters have been killed since 8 October, while Israel has claimed only 10 fatalities among its forces – a highly improbable figure given Hezbollah’s extensive dissemination of war footage showing its Israeli troop targeting operations.
In comparison, during Israel’s 2006 war on Lebanon, which lasted only 34 days, Hezbollah’s losses are estimated to be around 250 dead fighters versus Israel’s declared 121 troops deaths, although that number is believed to be significantly higher. Ten Israeli deaths on the Lebanese border after six months of ferocious clashes makes little sense in this context.
Arab ‘cannon fodder’ and foreign mercenaries
Tel Aviv adds to this “fog of war” by employing Bedouin and Druze troops on its frontlines to make concealing army deaths easier.
For instance, Israel provides a “material allowance” to the families of soldiers from the Bedouin “Qasasi al-Athar” unit, which is deployed to a number of Israel’s borders – Lebanon, Gaza, Egypt – with a focus on preventing cross-border infiltrations, particularly during times of conflict.
Field estimates indicate that the largest number of Israeli deaths occurred in the ranks of this unit.
In recent years, Israel has launched a series of military propaganda campaigns to showcase the diversity in its ranks. Deputy Army Spokesman “Captain Ayla,” an Arab Jew, organized a 2020 tour at the Lebanese–Palestinian border with a Qasasi al-Athar unit officer named Ali Falah, who works within the Northern Brigade, to highlight the perilous nature of their work at point zero.
It seems that the Israeli military employs the same strategies – paying off the families of dead Bedouin troops – with soldiers from the Arab Druze community, who are part of individual formations and battalions or so-called ‘local defense’ in villages near the Lebanese border.
For instance, 70 percent of the 299th Battalion, which is stationed in the Hurfaish area – four kilometers from the Lebanese border – are members of the Druze community. The battalion has incurred casualties on the deadly front, but Israel has only reported one loss to date.
As with many armies facing decline, mercenaries have become a fixture within the ranks of the Israeli armed forces and are active in the combat units of the Israeli army. Many of these enlisted during the Gaza aggression and have been subsequently deployed to the border with Lebanon.
Despite the active involvement of mercenaries, their deaths often go unacknowledged, and their bodies are quietly repatriated without official recognition as fallen soldiers. Evidence suggests that a significant number of them have perished on the border frontlines.
Declining morale: why Israel hides its death toll
The unprecedented events of the Palestinian resistance’s Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on 7 October have cast an ominous shadow over the entire Israel project, sending shockwaves through every facet of society.
With Tel Aviv’s declaration of total war on Gaza and the sudden eruption of conflict on a second front in southern Lebanon, anxiety reached a fever pitch.
The Israeli military understood that waging a full-scale war on two fronts, particularly against Lebanon, where Hezbollah has raised an army of 100,000 and possesses vastly more sophisticated weaponry and training than the resistance in Palestine, posed insurmountable challenges.
In addition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government faces unprecedented pressures from multiple domestic fronts: Israeli prisoners held by the resistance factions, the need to achieve stated war objectives in the Gaza Strip, ‘displacement‘ of hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers in the north, mutiny within his war cabinet, and the catastrophic economic damage resulting from the war.
Consequently, Israel’s security establishment, with the support of the War Council, has pursued a series of policies to address the emerging reality on the northern border, primarily relying on US efforts and diplomatic interventions to return the settlers and free its prisoners – without resorting to military actions that are unlikely to guarantee ideal results.
The pressure from displaced northern settlers, coupled with the growing realization that Hezbollah has imposed a physical, geographic security buffer inside Israel, has heavily influenced the army’s decision to conceal its staggering military losses, both human and material. Tel Aviv does not disclose this data to the public to avoid challenges that may lead to the expansion and uncontrollable escalation of the conflict.
Ratio: quality over depth
In exchange for obscuring its losses, the occupation army seeks to project an image of strength by launching air force raids deep inside Lebanon. These are intended to deter Hezbollah, along with threats by top Israeli officials, such as Chief of Staff and Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, who proclaimed in November: “What we’re doing in Gaza, we can also do in Beirut.”
Having already established a ‘kill ratio’ in this war, it is suggested that Hezbollah may be aiming to establish a new ‘qualitative ratio’ in its fight with Israel. This involves Hezbollah carefully selecting qualitative targets such as Israeli barracks and command centers – rather than merely matching Israel’s ‘depth strikes’ in Lebanon – to deter the enemy and achieve its objectives.
To counter Israel’s depth approach, Hezbollah has reframed the equation: it has prioritized ‘qualitative Israeli targets’ over mere geographical distance. This strategic shift was noted in the aftermath of Israel’s attack on the southern suburb of Beirut to assassinate Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau.
In response, the Lebanese resistance targeted a significant and sensitive site near the border – the Meron multi-mission air surveillance base – dealing a substantial blow to its functionality.
Hezbollah’s strategic maneuvers have placed Tel Aviv in a difficult predicament. The resistance’s evolving tactics disrupt the occupation army’s operations, causing confusion and threatening to escalate strikes on quality targets in the event that the war expands.
Strikes targeting specific installations – such as the volley of over 100 rockets against strategic sites in the Golan Heights in return for an Israeli attack on Baalbeck earlier this month – carry profound security implications for Israel.
Hezbollah’s deliberate and rapid retaliation underscores its readiness to confront any incursions into sensitive territories, rewrite the rules of engagement at will, and maintain the delicate balance of power along the border.
Why Hezbollah opened Lebanon’s southern front
When Hezbollah opened a Lebanese front on 8 October last year, its strategic objectives were twofold: to bolster the resistance in Gaza and to sow confusion within the Israeli military on the northern front. This required significant troop movements, the deployment of air defense systems, and heightened air force readiness, as Israel anticipated potential escalation, especially in the initial stages of the conflict.
In addition to this primary objective, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah highlighted another critical point: Israel’s behavior within Lebanon. There was a concern that Tel Aviv might initiate or manipulate the front to align with its own objectives, possibly with a ‘deterrent’ intent.
The overarching objectives of Hezbollah’s strategy included supporting the resistance in Palestine, synchronizing operations with the dynamics of the conflict there, enhancing deterrence against Israeli aggression, and preventing wide-scale attacks. Additionally, Hezbollah aimed to send clear messages through battlefield actions, showcasing the resistance’s intelligence capabilities and versatility in targeting.
The strategy aims to restrain the conflict from expanding to serve Israel’s strategic interests, all while inflicting constant attrition on the enemy forces stationed in the north.
Ultimately, Hezbollah’s approach has resulted in significant losses and costs for the enemy, albeit less than what would be incurred in a full-blown confrontation. Consequently, the Israeli army finds itself ensnared in a front adeptly managed by Hezbollah, where calculations are based on actual losses rather than publicized figures or internal propaganda.
Its remarkable ‘kill ratio’ aside, Hezbollah has raised the stakes for Tel Aviv, which now has to calculate its losses every time it strikes deeper into Lebanese lands. Israel’s misguided depth strategy has now created a Hezbollah ‘quality ratio.’
Hezbollah’s Secretary-General gives a debrief on the latest regional developments and the future of the war with “Israel” in his latest speech.
Speech of His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan 3-13-2024
The Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas is negotiating on behalf of Palestinian Resistance and the entire Axis of Resistance, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, revealed in a talk he held on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan on Wednesday.
Sayyed Nasrallah reiterated in the address that the operations by all supporting fronts are ongoing and will until the Israeli aggression on Gaza is stopped.
Hezbollah's Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah highlighted that "the Israeli army today is exhausted and drained on all fronts, and the number of its [casualties] is very large and much greater than declared."
“We are entering the sixth month in confronting the aggression on Gaza and on the supportive fronts in Lebanon and Yemen,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, highlighting the fact that, in this period, “Israel” has failed to achieve any of its declared goals in the Gaza Strip.
“Gaza, which resists, fights, and perseveres in a scene closer to a miracle [has] astonished the world, representing the culture of the [holy] Quran,” the Resistance leader underlined.
“Senior enemy experts acknowledge the strategic losses [of Israel], and today in the sixth month, Netanyahu stands to say if we do not go to Rafah, we have lost the war,” he said.
Shedding light on Netanyhu’s persistent efforts to invade Rafah, paralleled by Israeli mires in the Gaza Strip and the Northern Front, Sayyed Nasrallah stressed, “We say to Netanyahu, even if you go to Rafah, you have already lost the war, and you cannot abolish Hamas or the Resistance in Gaza despite all the massacres.”
He also affirmed the rightfulness of the Resistance’s demands of a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, announcing Hezbollah’s support of the decision of Hamas’ leadership.
“We affirm our support for the Palestinian Resistance factions, especially the leadership of Hamas, which negotiates on behalf of everyone.”
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Supporting front steadfast on principles
“Neither the Americans nor the British or any Europeans managed to prevent the Yemeni brothers from striking ships heading to occupied Palestine,” he added.
He also highlighted the role of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which continues to launch missiles and drones at the Israeli occupation’s sites.
Israeli military fatigued
“The Israeli army, after 5 months, suffers shortages in many aspects and wants to recruit 14,500 officers and soldiers, even from the Haredim,” Sayyed Nasrallah highlighted, adding that the war on Gaza has taken a heavy toll on Israeli society that targets the most sensitive and contended aspects of the entity’s structure, such as the recruitment of Ultra-Orthodox Jews to military service.
“The Israeli army today is exhausted and drained on all fronts, and the number of its [casualties] is very large and much greater than declared.”
“On the northern front, there is severe secrecy regarding losses in terms of soldiers, military vehicles, and others,” he said.
The Secretary-General pointed out that the economic losses in South Lebanon cannot be compared to the significant losses of the occupation in northern occupied territories, which constitute a significant portion of income for the Israeli regime.
“Those who want to assess what the Resistance is doing on the Lebanese front should see the deterrence the Resistance has achieved against the enemy, preventing it from waging a war on Lebanon,” Sayyed Nasrallah explained.
“It takes some time, and the Israeli society is showing signs of fatigue, also [reflected on] its army and economy,” he added.
“The natural and logical choice in these battles on the fronts of the Resistance [is to be patient],” Sayyed Nasrallah said, promising that “victory belongs to those who endure.”
“Our job and responsibility are to [promote] perseverance and resilience [and place] the Axis of Resistance in a position of strength and the enemy in a position of weakness,” he explained.
Sayyed Nasrallah concluded his speech by sending a message of gratitude to protesters in the United States demanding an end to the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, saying that their continued efforts might “open a door for hope.”
The commander of Hezbollah’s anti-armored munitions unit reveals a new NLOS weapon developed by the Resistance in the face of the Israeli occupation.
Since the start of the confrontations on the Lebanese-Palestinian border area on October 8, there have been talks within “Israel” about the “anti-armor weapons” possessed by Hezbollah, with there being grave concerns about the Resistance’s capabilities.
Israeli media, the political and military spheres, and much more, have expressed great fear of the development of the capabilities of the Islamic resistance in Lebanon, which has become “a champion in missile sniping.”
Anti-armor missiles are one of the many specialties of the Islamic resistance in Lebanon, and the status quo of the battlefield in the current limited confrontation has made this weapon take the lead at this stage.
Al Mayadeen Exclusive | "During 2006 [war on Lebanon], the Israeli enemy soldiers abandoned a Gill Spike missile system and fled, while the [Lebanese] fighters seized this equipment and it was subsequently transferred to the Islamic Republic of #Iran."
A commander in Hezbollah’s anti-armor unit told Al Mayadeen in an exclusive interview that the Islamic resistance in Lebanon is a large group with numerous divisions, and each division has its own battle system.
In this operation, Hezbollah’s anti-armor capabilities had the lion’s share in the fighting due to the nature of the mission, but the rest of the divisions, each of which had their own sets of skills, did not all-out participate in the battle and only did so in a limited manner. Had they fully participated, the commander said, the Israeli occupation “would have seen things it would have never expected.”
The official continued by saying that the advantages that made anti-armor the star of this battle are the advantages it enjoys, namely “flexibility, effectiveness and simplicity.” Flexibility “qualifies it to work in this battle against threats and shelling,” while simplicity relates to “the simplicity of training and use.”
As for effectiveness, the anti-armor units confront the occupation’s forces who use tanks and armored personnel carriers, as it “has the effectiveness to work against all enemy targets.”
Al Mayadeen‘s political and Lebanese affairs analyst, Abbas Fneish, confirmed when talking about the operations carried out by the resistance since October 8 that the escalation was gradual.
During the first two weeks, “all the targets were clear on the surface, as the resistance targeted tanks, personnel, and positions.” Most of these targets were hit with anti-armor weapons, he clarified.
Later, the resistance began to pursue the occupation, as it went deeper and closer to the border area and hid in the groves and newly created points, Fneish added. The developments and results themselves speak for the effectiveness of the anti-armor unit, with dozens of destroyed Israeli tanks and military sites and other reinforcements where Israeli soldiers are sheltering themselves.
Paramount Israeli destruction
A tally done by Al Mayadeen revealed all the Israeli losses suffered due to the Resistance’s operations using anti-armor munitions, which included 460 strikes with guided munition and 105 strikes with unguided munition.
The strikes in question include 87 that were carried out from weapons yet to be unveiled by the Resistance, 82 of whom are guided and the remaining 5 are unguided.
Fneish underlined that the Resistance was adhering to secrecy because it did not want to put all its cards on the table as its confrontation with the Israeli occupation kept unfolding.
This is a breakdown of all the different weapons used by the Resistance against the Israeli occupation forces.
The Hezbollah commander, after the group’s capabilities were displayed in full by the sheer number of operations it carried out against the Israeli occupation, underlined that the Resistance defeated the Israeli occupation, but stressed that this was not anything new.
“We did not defeat the enemy today, we defeated them when we destroyed the Merkava tank in 1993,” he said. “We defeated the enemy when we turned the entire border area into a ghost town. We defeated the enemy when one of its experts said we had sleepless eyes; when we destroyed its reinforcements to pave the way for the entry of our freedom fighters.”
“We defeated the enemy when we surprised them using the Kornet in 2006 and we rendered the Hujeir Valley into a graveyard of tanks,” he said.
Today the Israeli occupation stands bewildered in the face of the Resistance’s anti-armor capabilities, the Hezbollah top commander stressed.
“One of the tricks up our sleeves during this battle is that anti-armor munitions are no longer the only weapon in our possession as was the case in 2006,” he added. “The battle today is with reinforcements and infantry troops, which called for us to put into commission a new kind of munition.”
“There are missiles capable of destroying houses and killing everyone inside of them. Thermobaric missiles are capable of destroying whole houses and killing everyone inside,” the Hezbollah commander said.
Abbas Fneish, meanwhile, went on to highlight that the Resistance put into commission three types of missiles, the first one is thermobaric missiles with a range of 8 km and 10 km, the second is the Tharallah system, and the third is a special precision-guided system.
Most sophisticated missile
The third system in question was made after Resistance fighters managed to capture a Spike MR abandoned by Israeli soldiers who had escaped during the 2006 July War. The missile system was taken and sent to the Islamic Republic of Iran, it was revealed to Al Mayadeen.
The Spike is one of the most sophisticated anti-armor weapons in the world; it is equipped with a camera that allows whoever is controlling it to manually seek the target, and the latter does not have to be within its plane of sight to get struck.
“We have a weapon that does not need a target that is within its plane of sight. The first time this weapon was used was to destroy a Merkava in ‘Metula’. Several targets have been engaged with this weapon,” the Hezbollah top commander said.
“The enemy is hiding this information and preventing it from publication so that its soldiers are not frightened and so they do not end up deserting,” he stressed.
That weapon, he said, is the Almas. “The Resistance saw that this was the right moment to unveil this weapon.”
“Numerous systems were left on the battlefield, and the Israelis carried out air raids thinking that it would manage to destroy them, but they failed and this remained a secret,” Fneish told Al Mayadeen.
When the Hezbollah fighters got ahold of the weapon, they communicated with Hajj Imad Mughniyeh who, in turn, communicated with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and they wound up sending it to Iran. “The Resistance sought to reverse engineer the weapon, and this it produced the Almas.”
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World War III is here, playing out asymmetrically in military, financial, and institutional battlefields, and the fight is an existential one. The western Hegemon, in truth, is at war against international law, and only ‘kinetic military action’ can bring it to heel.
The Axis of Asymmetry is in full swing. These are the state and non-state actors employing asymmetrical moves on the global chessboard to sideline the US-led western rules-based order. And its vanguard is the Yemeni resistance movement Ansarallah.
Ansarallah is absolutely relentless. They have downeda $30 million MQ-9 Reaper drone with just a $10k indigenous missile.
They are the first in the Global South ever to use anti-ship ballistic missiles against Israel-bound and/or -protecting commercial and US Navy ships.
For all practical purposes, Ansarallah is at war with no less than the US Navy.
Ansarallah has captured one of the US Navy’s ultra-sophisticated autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV), the $1.3 million Remus 600, a torpedo-shaped underwater drone able to carry a massive payload of sensors.
Next stop: reverse engineering in Iran? The Global South eagerly awaits, ready to pay in currencies bypassing the US dollar.
All of the above – a maritime 21st-century remix of the Ho Chi Minh trail during the Vietnam War – spells out that the Hegemon may not even qualify as a paper tiger, but rather as a paper leech.
Lula tells it as the Global South sees it
Into the Big Picture – linked to the relentless ongoing genocide perpetrated by Israel in Gaza – steps a true leader of the Global South, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Lula spoke in the name of Brazil, Latin America, Africa, BRICS 10, and the overwhelming majority of the Global South when he cut to the chase and defined the Gaza tragedy for what it is: a genocide. No wonder the Zionist tentacles across the Global North – plus its Global South vassals – went bonkers.
The genocidals in Tel Aviv declared Lula as persona non grata in Israel. Yet Lula did not assassinate 29,000+ Palestinians – the overwhelming majority of whom were women and children.
History will be unforgiving: it’s the genocidals that will eventually be judged as personae non grata to all of humanity.
What Lula said represented BRICS 10 in action: this was obviously cleared before with Moscow, Beijing, Tehran, and, of course, the African Union. Lula spoke in Addis Ababa, and Ethiopia is now a BRICS 10 member.
The Brazilian president was extremely smart in timing his Gaza fact-check to be on the table during the G20 meeting of Foreign Ministers in Rio. Way beyond BRICS 10, what’s happening in Gaza is a consensus among the non-Western G20 partners – who are actually a majority. No one, though, should expect any serious follow-up inside a divided G20. The heart of the matter remains in the facts on the ground.
Yemen’s fight for “our people” in Gaza is a matter of humanistic, moral, and religious solidarity – these are foundational tenets of the rising eastern “civilizational” powers, both domestically and in international affairs. This convergence of principles has now created a direct link – extrapolating to the moral and spiritual spheres – between the Axis of Resistance in West Asia and the Slavic Axis of Resistance in Donbass.
Extreme attention should be paid to the timescale. The Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) forces and Russia have spent two hard-fought years in Novorossiya just to arrive at the stage where it becomes clear – based on the battlefield and cumulative facts on the ground – that “negotiations” mean only the terms of Kiev’s surrender.
In contrast, the job of the Axis of Resistance in West Asia has not even started. It’s fair to argue that its strength and full sovereign involvement have not been deployed yet (think Hezbollah and Iran).
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, with his proverbial subtlety, has hinted there’s, in fact, nothing to negotiate on Palestine. And if there would be a return to any borders, these would be the 1948 borders. The Axis of Resistance understands that the whole Zionist Project is unlawful and immoral. But the question remains how to throw it, in practice, into the dustbin of History?
Possible – avowedly optimistic – scenarios ahead would include Hezbollah taking possession of the Galilee as a step toward the eventual retaking of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Yet the fact remains that even a united Palestine does not have the military capability to reconquer stolen Palestinian lands.
So the questions posed by the overwhelming majority of the Global South that stands with Lula may be: Who else, apart from Ansarallah, Hezbollah, Hashd al-Shaabi, will join the Axis of Asymmetry in the fight for Palestine? Who would be willing to come to the Holy Land and die? (After all, in Donbass, it’s only Russians and Russophones who are dying for historically Russian lands)
And that brings us to the way towards the endgame: only a West Asian Special Military Operation (SMO), to the bitter end, will settle the Palestinian tragedy. A translation of what happens across the Slavic Axis of Resistance: “Those who refuse to negotiate with Lavrov, deal with Shoigu.”
The menu, the table, and the guests
That out-of-his-depth closet neocon, Secretary of State Tony Blinken, let the cat out of the bag when he actually defined his much cherished “rules-based international order”: “If you’re not on the table, you are on the menu.”
Following his own hegemonic logic, it’s clear that Russia and the US/NATO are on the table while Ukraine is on the menu. What about the Red Sea? The Houthis defending Palestine against US–UK–Israel are clearly on the table, while Western vassals supporting Israel in a maritime way are clearly on the menu.
And that’s the problem: the Hegemon – or, in Chinese scholarly terminology, “the crusaders” – have lost the power to place the name cards on the table. The main reason for this authority collapse is the build-up of serious international meetings sponsored by the Russia–China strategic partnership during the past two years since the start of the SMO. It’s all about sequential planning, with long-term targets clearly outlined.
Only civilizational states can do that – not plutocratic neoliberal casinos.
Negotiating with the Hegemon is impossible because the Hegemon itself prevents negotiations (see the serial blocking of ceasefire resolutions at the UN). Additionally, the Hegemon excels in instrumentalizing its client elites across the Global South via threats or kompromat: see the hysterical reaction of Brazilian mainstream media to Lula’s verdict on Gaza.
What Russia is showing the Global South, two years after the start of the SMO, is that the only path to teach a lesson to the Hegemon has to be kinetic, or “military-technical.”
The problem is no nation-state can compare to nuclear/hypersonic/military superpower Russia, in which 7.5 percent of the government’s budget is dedicated to military production. Russia is and will remain on a permanent war footing until Hegemon’s elites come to their senses – and that may never happen.
Meanwhile, West Asia’s Axis of Resistance is watching and learning, day after day. It’s always crucial to keep in mind that for all the resistance movements across the Global South – and that also includes, for instance, West Africans against French neo-colonialism – the geopolitical fault lines could not be starker.
It’s a matter of the collective West versus Islam; the collective West versus Russia; and sooner rather than later, a substantial part of the West, even reluctantly, versus China.
The fact is we are already immersed in a World War that is both existential and civilizational. As we stand at the crossroads, there is a bifurcation: either escalation towards overt “kinetic military action,” or a multiplication of Hybrid Wars across several latitudes.
So it’s up to the Axis of Asymmetry, cool, calm, and collected, to forge the underground corridors, passages, and trails capable of undermining and subverting the US-led, unipolar, rules-based international order.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.
We have entered a period of breakdown and violence, as the forces pulling apart the old status quo cascade and mutually reinforce one another.
In a speech on Tuesday, Hizbullah leader Seyed Nasrallah said that the Party will continue the border offensive until at least the Gaza massacre stops. The war in Gaza however, is far from over. And Nasrallah warned that even were a ceasefire to be reached in Gaza, “should the enemy perform any action, we will return to operating according to the rules and formulas that existed before. The purpose of the resistance is to deter the enemy, and we will react accordingly”.
Israel’s Defence Secretary Gallant has underlined that contrary to international consensus expectations, he too expects the war in Lebanon to continue. Gallant said the military has stepped up its attacks against Hizbullah by one level out of ten:
“The Air Force planes flying currently in the skies of Lebanon have heavier bombs for more distant targets. Hizbullah went up half a step, whilst we, a full one … We can attack not only at 20 kilometres [from the border], but also at 50 kilometres, and in Beirut and anywhere else”.
It is not clear what ‘red line’ Hizbullah would have to cross for Israel to significantly escalate its response to much higher levels; Israeli leaders have suggested that an attack on a strategic site; or an attack leading to major civilian casualties; or a substantive barrage on Haifa might constitute the breaking point.
Nonetheless, with three military divisions rather than the usual one now deployed in the north of Israel, the IDF has more forces poised for action on the northern border than it has preparing for an incursion into Rafah – at this point. It is clear, as Chief of Staff Halevy has specified, that Israel is “preparing for war” against Hizbullah (more than preparing for Rafah).
Is the threat to Rafah a bluff to put pressure on Hamas to concede on the deal and hostages? One way or another, both Israel’s political and military chiefs are adamant: The IDF will incurse into Rafah – ‘at some point’.
The qualitatively different Hizbullah’s strike on Safed on Israel’s northern regional command HQ on Wednesday – which that resulted in 2 dead and 7 further casualties – is being treating in Israel as the gravest attack since the start of the war, with Ben Gvir calling it a “declaration of war”. Subsequent Israeli attacks killed 11 people, including six children, in a barrage of strikes on villages across southern Lebanon, in retribution for the Safed blitz – with the fierce exchange of fire still continuing.
The ‘Safed Strike’ deep into the Galilee very likely was intended to signal that Hizbullah is not about to capitulate to western demands that it provide Israel with a ceasefire that is intended to facilitate evacuated Israelis to return to their homes in the north. As Nasrallah confirmed in a scathing attack on those external (Western) mediators who serve only as Israel’s lawyers, and neglect to address the massacres in Gaza:
“It is easier to move the Litani River forward to the borders, than to push back Hezbollah fighters from the borders, to behind the Litani River … They want us to pay a price without Israel committing to a thing”.
In these circumstances, Nasrallah clarified that residents of northern Israel will not return to their homes – warning that even more Israelis risk being displaced:
“‘Israel’ must prepare shelters, basements, hotels and schools to house two million settlers who will be evacuated from northern Palestine, [were Israel to expand the war zone].”
Nasrallah outlined what is clearly the agreed Axis of resistance’s overarching strategic plan. (There has been a flurry of meetings between senior Axis principals over the last week, across the region, for which Nasrallah is speaking):
“We are committed to fighting Israel until it is off the map. A strong Israel is dangerous to Lebanon; but a deterred Israel, defeated and exhausted, is less of a danger to Lebanon”.
“The national interest of Lebanon, the Palestinians, and the Arab world is that Israel leaves this battle defeated: Therefore, we are committed to Israel’s defeat”.
Put bluntly, the Axis has its vision of the conflict’s outcome. And it is a “deterred, defeated and exhausted” Israeli State. By implication, it is an Israel that has relinquished the Zionist project – one that is reconciled to the notion of living as Jews between the River and the Sea – albeit with rights no different to others living there (i.e. Palestinians).
On the other side, the western strategic plan, as the Washington Postreports – which the U.S. and several Arab countries hope to present within a few weeks – is a long-term plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, including a “time frame” for the establishment of a provisional de-militarized Palestinian “state”:
“Imperatively, it begins with a hostage deal accompanied by a six-week cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. While it may be termed “cessation of hostilities” or an “extended humanitarian pause,” such a cease-fire will signal the de facto end of the war along the lines and scale that it has been fought since 7 Oct.”
The plan addresses “Post-war Gaza”, in terms already well-known. As senior Israeli commentator, Alon Pinkas, affirms:
“Parallel to the announcement U.S., Britain and possibly other countries will consider and eventually make a joint statement of intent by recognizing a provisional, demilitarized and future Palestinian state – without delineating or specifying its borders”.
“Such a recognition does not necessarily contradict Israel’s legitimate and reasonable demand to have overriding security control over the area west of the Jordan River in the foreseeable future … [it constitutes] a practical, timebound, irreversible path to a Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace with Israel … whose recognition could also be submitted to the UN Security Council – as a binding resolution. Once the Arab countries sign off on such a framework, the U.S. believes that neither Russia nor China would veto it …
“Within the “regionalization” phase however, the Americans will craft a regional security cooperation mechanism. Some in Washington imagine a reconfigured region with a new “security architecture” as a harbinger to a gradual Mideast version of the European Union, with greater economic and infrastructure integration”.
Even Alon Pinkas, an experienced former Israeli diplomat, concedes: “If the plan seems too fantastical to you: You’re not alone”.
The basic improbabilities to this plan simply are disregarded. Firstly, Israel’s Finance Minister Smotrich responded to the reported American-Arab plan, saying: “there’s a joint American, British and Arab effort to establish a terrorist state” next to Israel. Second, (as Smotrich further notes): “They see the polls. They see how the absolute majority of Israelis oppose this idea [of a Palestinian State]”; and thirdly, some 700,000 settlers were installed in the West Bank – precisely to block any Palestinian State.
Is the U.S. really going to impose this onto a hostile Israel? How?
And, from the Resistance perspective, ‘a provisional, demilitarized and future Palestinian ‘state’, without delineated or specified borders, is not a state. It is truly a Bantustan.
The reality is that when a Palestinian State might have been a real prospect (two decades ago), the international community turned a willing ‘blind eye’ – for decades – to Israel’s successful and complete sabotage of the project. Today, circumstances are much changed: Israel has moved far to the Right and is in the grip of an eschatological passion to establish Israel on the entire “Land of Israel”.
The U.S. and Europe have only themselves to blame for the dilemma in which they now find themselves. And a policy stance – such as outlined by Biden – plainly said is doing untold strategic damage to the U.S. and its compliant European allies.
Even on the Lebanon track, let us be plain too, Israel’s demands from Lebanon go far beyond a mutual ceasefire. There is no guarantee, even should a ceasefire be reached in Gaza as part of a comprehensive hostage/end-of-war deal, that Nasrallah will agree to withdraw all his forces from the border with Israel, or conversely, that Israel will comply with its commitments.
And with the U.S. defining its Palestinian ‘solution’ as an improbable, provisional, disarmed and wholly impotent Palestinian entity, nestled within a fully militarised Israel, exercising ‘full security overlordship from the River to the Sea’, it would not be surprising were Hizbullah rather, to opt to pursue the Axis’ plan of a defeated, exhausted post-Zionism.
“Even were the American assumptions to become a working plan, it is still unclear what policy Israel will adopt on Lebanon. Even pushing Hezbollah back so that Israeli communities are no longer within the range of its anti-tank missiles does not remove the threat of tens of thousands of medium and long-range missiles. The deterrence equation between Israel and Hezbollah will continue to determine [the true] reality along the border”.
[The current U.S. working assumption, as presented by the Administration’s special envoy Amos Hochstein in his previous visits to Lebanon], “is that a border demarcation agreement between Israel and Lebanon will result in final and full recognition of the international border and thus deny Hezbollah the formal basis for justifying its continued fight against Israel to liberate occupied Lebanese territories. At the same time, it allows the Lebanese government to order its army to deploy its forces along the border in order to assert its sovereignty over its entire territory and demand that Hezbollah forces pull back from the border”.
This is just more wishful, ‘fantastical’ thinking. And it contains a flaw: Hochstein’s work plan does not include an agreement on the Sheba’a Farms, but only on the ‘Blue Line’ – the border agreed in 2000, but which is not recognized by Lebanon as an international border. If the issue of the Sheba’a Farms is not settled, Hezbollah will not be bound by a limited demarcation accord that omits the Sheba’a area.
Since Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October, every stratagem and protocol, dug from some musty West Wing cupboard, and upon which the U.S. leant, has failed. What was supposed to be a limited and compartmentalized military operation in Gaza by the IDF has turned into a regional firestorm. Aircraft carriers sent to deter other actors from getting involved failed with the Houthis; U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria became targets, with attacks on U.S. bases continuing, despite U.S. attempts at delivering deterrent ‘punches’.
Quite clearly, Netanyahu is ignoring Biden, and ‘defying the world’ – as this week’s headlines attest:
“Defying Biden, Netanyahu Doubles Down on Plans to Fight in Rafah” (Wall Street Journal)
“As Israel corners Rafah, Netanyahu defies the world” (Washington Post)
“U.S. won’t punish Israel for Rafah op that doesn’t protect civilians” (Politico)
“Egypt Builds Walled Enclosure on Border as Israeli Offensive Looms: Authorities are surrounding an area in the desert with concrete walls as a contingency for possible influx of Palestinian refugees” (Wall Street Journal).
Netanyahu has vowed to forge ahead, saying on Wednesday that Israel would mount a “powerful” operation in the city of Rafah, once residents have been “evacuated”. Israelis explicitly say the White House is not opposed to the Rafah blitz, provided Palestinians are given the opportunity to “evacuate” (to where, is left unsaid). (Meanwhile, Egypt is building a refugee camp inside its border, surrounded by concrete walls …).
At this point, all of the U.S.’ various problems – the political polarization, widening war, funding for wars, the alienation amongst the swing-state Arab constituencies and Biden’s sinking ratings – are beginning to feed into, and reinforce, each other. What began as a foreign-policy issue – Israel defeating Hamas – has become a significant domestic crisis. Dissatisfaction within the U.S. at Israel’s conduct of the war is fuelling the growth of significant protest movements. Who can truly believe that yet another trip by Blinken to the region will solve anything at this point, asks Malcom Kyeyune?
It is hard to say where things in the region will stand, a couple of months from now. We have entered a period of breakdown and violence, as the forces pulling apart the old status quo cascade and mutually reinforce one another.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah warned today that the enemy will pay the price in blood for the civilian deaths in Nabatiyeh and Al-Suwanah, emphasizing that targeting civilians will not go unanswered, citing the resistance’s missile strikes on Kiryat Shmona as a preliminary response.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah made these statements in a televised speech broadcast live from Beirut, Lebanon, on Friday, marking Hezbollah’s Martyred Leaders Day, which annually falls on February 16.
During the ceremony, Sayyed Nasrallah reiterated the resilience of the resistance and its commitment to defending Lebanon’s sovereignty and dignity. He criticized the international community for its failure to support Gaza and called out the American administration for its hypocrisy in the Palestinian conflict.
Sayyed Nasrallah also highlighted the resistance’s role in exposing Israeli plans to displace Palestinians and establish a purely Jewish state. He called for unity among resistance factions and reaffirmed their goal of supporting Gaza’s victory.
The event concluded with Sayyed Nasrallah honoring the martyred leaders, stating that their presence remains influential in guiding the party’s path and objectives.
South Lebanon’s Massacres Won’t Go Unanswered
Sayyed Nasrallah declared that the Israeli regime would ‘pay with blood’ for the recent killing of civilians in the country’s south.
His eminence’s speech followed an Israeli strike two days prior that targeted a building in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh, claiming the lives of seven family members, including a child. Another attack by the Israeli occupation in the village of Al-Suwanah in southern Lebanon resulted in the deaths of a woman and her two children.
Condemning these Israeli strikes as ‘deliberate massacres,’ Sayyed Nasrallah stated that Tel Aviv must realize it ‘went too far’ by targeting civilians.
“The recent Israeli massacres against civilians in the south were deliberate. We are deeply entrenched in a real battle, and concerning the fighters, their martyrdom is an integral aspect of this struggle. However, when it concerns civilians, this issue is particularly sensitive and has been present since the inception of the resistance,” Sayyed Nasrallah said.
“In February 1992, the resistance formulated a strategy to protect civilians, which was formally established in July 1993,” Sayyed Nasrallah explained, warning: “We absolutely condemn any harm to civilians, and it is imperative that the enemy realizes they have crossed a red line in this regard.”
Sayyed Nasrallah asserted that the resistance’s missile strikes on Kiryat Shmona were a preliminary response to Israeli massacres of civilians in southern Lebanon. “Yesterday, we launched dozens of Katyusha rockets and several Falaq rockets at the “Kiryat Shmona” settlement as an initial response.”
He vowed that those responsible for the deaths in Nabatiyeh, Al-Suwanah, and other southern villages would face retribution, emphasizing that the price for such bloodshed would be paid in kind, not through infrastructure or military assets. “Both friend and foe will witness that the price for this bloodshed will be exacted in blood, not in structures, vehicles, or surveillance devices.” “Since October 7, there has been immense global pressure to prevent the southern front from opening up to support Gaza. The enemy’s tactic, through targeting civilians, is to coerce the resistance into halting its actions. The response to the massacre must be an escalation of resistance efforts on the front. The enemy should anticipate this response.”
It is essential for everyone to understand that in Palestine, they are confronting a people who will not retreat, regardless of the sacrifices or challenges they face, Sayyed Nasrallah said. His eminence highlighted Hezbollah’s significant missile capabilities, extending from Kiryat Shmona to Eilat, underscoring the resistance’s preparedness to defend Lebanon’s territory and people. “The Lebanese resistance possesses formidable and precise missile capabilities, enabling its reach from Kiryat Shmona to Eilat.”
Sayyed Nasrallah also addressed the ongoing conflict in Palestine, stating that the Palestinians are an unwavering people who will not yield, regardless of the sacrifices endured. “Since 1984, there has been ongoing discourse regarding the cost, price, consequences, and sacrifices associated with resistance,” he said.
Regarding regional dynamics, Sayyed Nasrallah mentioned Yemen, noting the continued targeting of ships amid American and British aggression. He emphasized the interconnectedness of regional pressure dynamics, particularly in support of Gaza. “The Yemeni brothers have persisted in targeting American and British ships, but the focal point of the main battle remains the events unfolding in Gaza.”
Sayyed Nasrallah dismissed calls for surrender, affirming that resistance remains the only viable option. He warned against distractions from the primary goal of defending Lebanon’s sovereignty and dignity, emphasizing that resistance is not about imposing political options but safeguarding the country’s honor and resources.
“In response to the American and Zionist projects in the region, we are presented with two options: resistance or surrender.”
He highlighted the dire consequences of surrender, including displacement and loss of sovereignty, contrasting this with the empowerment of Israel had the Palestinian people surrendered years ago. Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that resistance fighters understand the risks, with martyrdom being an integral part of the ongoing battle.
“The cost of surrender is steep, perilous, exceedingly high, and critically important. Surrender in Lebanon would entail Israeli political and economic dominance over our nation. Had the Palestinian people surrendered, today Gaza, the West Bank, and even the people in the 1948 territories would all be outside the equation,” Hezbollah’s leader warned.
His eminence emphasized the importance of protecting civilians and reiterated the resistance’s commitment to this principle. He denounced the enemy’s strategy of targeting civilians to pressure the resistance, emphasizing that such actions only fuel the resistance’s resolve.
Sayyed Nasrallah praised the effectiveness of popular resistance in achieving liberation and breaking the balance of Israeli deterrence. He called for a steadfast commitment to the resistance, emphasizing that its presence and capabilities are essential for deterring the enemy and ensuring a dignified life for all Lebanese.
Resistance Exposes Israeli Plans, Calls Out American Hypocrisy
Sayyed Nasrallah continued his speech by highlighting the pivotal role of resistance in challenging Israeli aggression and exposing its true intentions. Sayyed Nasrallah emphasized the impact of the “flood of Al-Aqsa” operation, which revealed Israeli plans to displace Palestinians and establish a purely Jewish state.
“The resistance in Palestine has pushed the Zionist entity into an existential crisis, with the pinnacle being Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Today, in Gaza, the West Bank, southern Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iran, and throughout the region, we must never lose sight of the truth about the costs of resistance versus the costs of surrender,” he made it clear.
“Isn’t it humiliating and a sign of weakness that countries ruling over two billion Muslims are unable to deliver medicine to the people of Gaza?” he wondered.
Sayyed Nasrallah criticized the international community’s failure to provide basic necessities to Gaza, questioning the morality of countries ruling over two billion Muslims. He condemned the American administration for its complicity in the suffering of Gaza, noting that if the US halted its weapons shipments to the Zionist entity, the aggression would cease.
The Hezbollah leader condemned the media’s portrayal of Hamas as “ISIL,” emphasizing that Hamas has been unjustly accused without evidence. He called out the hypocrisy of world leaders who condemn Hamas while ignoring Israeli atrocities against Palestinian civilians. “Today, one of our responsibilities is to clarify the facts, as there has been a significant Israeli distortion of events since October 7. The Israeli media attempted to portray the resistance and Hamas on October 7 as ‘ISIL’ in a distorted manner,” Hezbollah’s S.G. said, adding: The Israelis failed to present a single slaughtered child or raped girl to the world. Instead, the settlers who were killed were actually victims of Israeli army fire.”
He regretted how some parts believed in the Israeli historical falsification regarding October 7, including countries that claim to be friends with the Hamas movement.
Sayyed Nasrallah emphasized that the US is the one willing to extend the war in Gaza.
“The greatest hypocrisy the world is witnessing today is the American administration’s stance on the events unfolding in Gaza. Israeli funds, weapons, missiles, and artillery shells currently originate from Washington. If the United States halts the air bridge to ‘Israel,’ the aggression against Gaza will cease. America is more adamant about the goal of eliminating Hamas than ‘Israel’. The American administration bears responsibility for every drop of blood shed in the region, while Israeli officials serve as mere instruments of implementation.”
Sayyed Nasrallah stressed the need for regional governments to reject the displacement of Palestinians, emphasizing the importance of unity in confronting such challenges. He reiterated the resistance axis’s goal of supporting Gaza’s victory and affirmed that they do not interfere in Palestinian negotiation processes.
“The Israeli goal was to displace Palestinians from occupied Palestine, relocating the people of the West Bank to Jordan, those of Gaza to Egypt, and those of the 1980s to Lebanon. However, Operation Al-Aqsa Flood exposed this long-standing Israeli objective of establishing a purely Jewish state extending from the sea to the river. The project of establishing a purely Jewish state not only targets Palestinians but also poses a threat to Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon.”
He affirmed the importance of popular resistance: “In memory of our martyred leaders, we reaffirm the efficacy of popular resistance as a viable option.”
“No matter how we articulate or elucidate, our words cannot fully capture the legendary resistance and steadfastness of the people in Gaza. This serves as a testament to the effectiveness of popular resistance,” he said.
Our objective, he continued, is to impose the highest possible material and human losses on the enemy, compelling them to admit defeat and withdraw. “Our aim is the resilience of the resistance, the endurance of the people of Gaza, and the steadfastness of our supporting fronts, be it through field military support or political and logistical backing.”
The Palestinian factions that delegated Hamas are primarily responsible for political negotiations, and we do not interfere in their negotiation process. All military and logistical support is directed towards Hamas and the Palestinian resistance, symbolizing the fronts of the resistance axis.
NO Political Price for Resistance’s Triumph
Sayyed Nasrallah reiterated the party’s commitment to the resistance as a means of defending Lebanon’s sovereignty and dignity, emphasizing that its purpose is not to interfere with Lebanon’s political system or sectarian balance. He also reiterated that the resistance weapon is not aimed at changing Lebanon’s political system or constitution but is solely focused on defending the country’s sovereignty and dignity.
“We call for the Lebanese army to be a strong and capable force, but it is America that hinders its strength,” he said.
“In a country like Lebanon, we must now more than ever hold onto the resistance, its weapons, and its capabilities. This is what works, what deters and frightens the enemy, and this is the strength of popular resistance,” Sayyed Nasrallah pointed out.
He assured that neither Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, nor any other participating faction on the front has discussed the imposition of a president or amendments to the quotas or political system in the current context. “The purpose of the resistance weapon is not to alter the political system, the constitution, or the system of government, nor is it to impose new sectarian quotas in Lebanon.”
“The matter of resistance transcends these considerations, as it pertains to the defense of Lebanon, the south, our people, and their dignity.”
In the context of Lebanon’s borders, Sayyed Nasrallah declared that they have been demarcated and any negotiations will be based on the principle of being out of our land. “Lebanon’s land borders have been delineated, and any negotiations will be based on the principle of ‘Get out of our Lebanese land,’” he affirmed.
Addressing the ceremony, Sayyed Nasrallah began his speech with showing pride on the resistance leaders who have a deep desire to sacrifice themselves in this divine path. “One of the fundamental aspects of this march and resistance is the willingness of its scholars and leaders to become martyrs, often alongside their honorable families.”
“The sacrifices made by the resistance movements are not merely emotional or reactionary; rather, they stem from a deep understanding, insight, and knowledge of their goals,” he said. Source: Al-Manar English Website
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Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah speaks on a screen via a video link during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the martyrdom of Hezbollah leaders, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, February 16, 2024 (AP)
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah underlines that the Israeli occupation’s crimes in southern Lebanon will be responded to in kind and that Hezbollah will not only strike military sites.
The Israeli occupation will pay with blood for its killing of civilians in southern Lebanon, as this is a sensitive issue for the Resistance and a red line that was crossed, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said during a speech on Friday to commemorate the fallen leaders of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon.
“The aggression on Nabatieh and al-Sawaneh is a momentous development in the ongoing confrontation because it targeted civilians,” he underlined, stressing that the Israeli occupation killed civilians intentionally.
“The enemy will pay with blood for its shedding of our women and children’s blood in Nabatieh and al-Sawaneh,” he stressed.
“Civilians are a sensitive issue, and the enemy must understand that it has gone too far if it gets to killing our civilians,” the Lebanese Resistance leader affirmed, noting that the occupation deliberately killed civilians to force the Resistance to halt its operations, as “all the pressures exerted since October 7 had the goal of shutting down the southern front.”
“Bombing ‘Kiryat Shmona’ with dozens of Katyusha rockets and several Falaq missiles is a preliminary response,” Sayyed Nasrallah underlined.
The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah continued on Thursday targeting Israeli military sites and settlements in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the Palestinian Resistance, as well as in response to the Israeli occupation’s attacks on Lebanese villages and civilian homes in southern Lebanon.
The Islamic Resistance issued a brief statement announcing that its fighters targeted the Israeli settlement of “Kiryat Shmona” with dozens of Katyusha rockets as an initial response to the massacres in Nabatieh and al-Sawaneh.
Furthermore, the fighters of the resistance targeted the Samaqa site with missiles, with several direct hits confirmed.
The Islamic Resistance also declared that its fighters, using suitable weapons, attacked espionage equipment at the Marj, al-Raheb, and al-Naqoura locations in addition to the Ruweisat al-Alam site in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms.
While lamenting the loss of civilian life, Sayyed Nasrallah went on to underline that military casualties were a natural part of any battle of liberation. “We are at the heart of a battle that spans over 100km, and the martyrdom of Resistance fighters is part of this battle,” he said.
As he went on to vow that the Resistance would retaliate against the Israeli occupation, he said the response to the massacre in southern Lebanon “must be an escalation in jihadist work on the battlefront,” warning the Israeli occupation that the Resistance has a massive missile power that would allow it to strike Israeli targets from “Kiryat Shmona” all the way to “Eilat”.
Capitulation is not an option
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addressed the minority calling for the Resistance to halt its operations and allow for the continuation of the bloodshed in Gaza, saying capitulation “bears a great, devastating cost that could even become existential.”
“Capitulation means subservience and humiliation, and it will allow for violations of our elders, our youth, our women, and our property,” he explained.
In a similar vein and in light of the Arab and Islamic worlds allowing Gaza to be violated as they stood idle, Sayyed Nasrallah asked: “Is it not humiliating and a symbol of weakness that entire states ruling over 2 billion Muslims are unable to administer medicine and food to the people of Gaza?”
Speaking further on internal Lebanese issues, he pledged that the Resistance’s arms “are not to be used for altering the Lebanese political regime or constitution and imposing a sectarian status quo in the country.”
Moreover, he said the Resistance’s arms “are to protect Lebanon, and the land borders are demarcated; the only way any negotiations take place will be on the basis of exiting our Lebanese soil.”
“The US is preventing the Lebanese Army from having adequate arms and missiles for defending Lebanon and deterring any aggression on it,” he added.
US to blame for the bloodshed
If an investigation is opened into October 7, Sayyed Nasrallah said, “the basis for the moral and legal pretexts Netanyahu and Biden are using for their goal of destroying Hamas will collapse.”
“Many people have fallen for the historic Israeli false narrative regarding October 7, including countries that claim to be friendly with Hamas,” he said. “The Palestinian Resistance has been subjected since October 7 to the worst humiliation and smear campaigns any Resistance movement has been subjected to in our contemporary history.”
“The worst case of hypocrisy witnessed by the world today is the stance of the US administration regarding what is going on in Gaza,” he further said, noting that if Washington were to stop arming the Israeli occupation, “the war on Gaza will stop whether Netanyahu wills it or not.”
“The United States is more insistent than “Israel” on the destruction of Hamas,” Sayyed Nasrallah added, holding the US responsible for “every drop of blood in the region, while Israeli officials are mere tools used in this bloodshed.”
“[Israeli Security Minister Yoav] Gallant has nearly gone mad,” he jokingly said about the Israeli official. “He’s talking about [striking] 50km [deep into Lebanon] and [striking] Beirut. It appears that he forgot that the Resistance – he might be [having a mental breakdown] and he forgot, although we have addressed this several times – has major precision missile capabilities.”
Resistance sole option
“The Resistance in Lebanon and Palestine broke Israeli deterrence and destroyed its image while shifting the balance of power by establishing a deterrent,” he added.
The Israeli occupation’s goal of the siege on Gaza prior to October 7, was to kill all of Gaza silently while the world stood idle.
“The goal of the Israeli occupation is to expel all the people of the West Bank to Jordan, the people of Gaza to Egypt, and the people of the occupied Palestinian territories to Lebanon,” he underlined.
“It is our responsibility to prevent the displacement of Palestinians, which requires a major confrontation,” he added.
“No matter how much we praise it, we will not be able to describe the legendary Resistance in Gaza and the historic resilience of the people of Gaza,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, commending all Gazans for their steadfastness.
Further stressing that the Lebanese Resistance was acting in solidarity with the people of Palestine, he said: “The Israelis and Americans did not think that the Resistance in Lebanon would have the bravery or the will to launch a front in support of Gaza.”
“Our goal in the Axis of Resistance as peoples, states, and Resistance fighters was and will remain the defeat of the enemy,” he said. “The enemy’s defeat is by foiling its plans,” he further stressed.
“The goal of the Axis of Resistance is inflicting the largest amount of losses on the enemy during this battle to force it to withdraw,” he explained.
Finally, commenting on the ongoing negotiations between the Palestinian Resistance and the Israeli occupation, Sayyed Nasrallah said, “The parties involved in political negotiations are the Palestinian Resistance factions that delegated Hamas, and we have no hand in the ongoing talks.”
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Analyst Bulbaba Salem: This is the difference between Abu A’ah’s speech today and his previous speeches.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah is to deliver a speech on Friday on the martyrdom anniversary of Hezbollah Leaders.
The Lebanese resistance leader will hold a televised address via Al-Manar at 15:00 on Friday, in a ceremony addressing the occasion.
The ceremony will be held simultaneously in Beirut’s Dahiyeh (southern suburb), Nabi Sheet, Jibshit and Teir Dibba.
Sayyed Nasrallah’s speech comes at a time the Israeli enemy escalates it aggression on south Lebanon, committing at least two massacres that killed 11 Lebanese citizens.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sayyed Nasrallah vowed that Hezbollah will expand the war zone in case the Israeli enemy does, warning that the Zionist regime “must prepare shelters, basements, hotels and schools to house 2 million settlers who will be displaced” if such a scenario takes place.
February 16 is the martyrdom anniversary of Hezbollah’s Leaders, Sheikh Ragheb Harb, Sayyed Abbas Al-Mousawi and Hajj Imad Mughniyeh, all were assassinated by the Zionist enemy throughout different years of confrontation, but in the same week.
Sheikh Ragheb Harb was assassinated by an Israeli agent on February 16, 1984.
Late Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Abbas al-Mousawi was martyred, along with his wife and son, when an Israeli airstrike attacked his convoy as he was attending the commemoration anniversary of Sheikh Harb on February 16, 1992.
Later on February 12, 2008, Hezbollah’s top military commander Hajj Imad Moghniyeh was martyred in a car bomb attack carried out by Israeli Mossad agents.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah is to deliver a speech on Friday on the martyrdom anniversary of Hezbollah Leaders.
The Lebanese resistance leader will hold a televised address via Al-Manar at 15:00 on Friday, in a ceremony addressing the occasion.
The ceremony will be held simultaneously in Beirut’s Dahiyeh (southern suburb), Nabi Sheet, Jibshit and Teir Dibba.
Sayyed Nasrallah’s speech comes at a time the Israeli enemy escalates it aggression on south Lebanon, committing at least two massacres that killed 11 Lebanese citizens.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sayyed Nasrallah vowed that Hezbollah will expand the war zone in case the Israeli enemy does, warning that the Zionist regime “must prepare shelters, basements, hotels and schools to house 2 million settlers who will be displaced” if such a scenario takes place.
February 16 is the martyrdom anniversary of Hezbollah’s Leaders, Sheikh Ragheb Harb, Sayyed Abbas Al-Mousawi and Hajj Imad Mughniyeh, all were assassinated by the Zionist enemy throughout different years of confrontation, but in the same week.
Sheikh Ragheb Harb was assassinated by an Israeli agent on February 16, 1984.
Late Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Abbas al-Mousawi was martyred, along with his wife and son, when an Israeli airstrike attacked his convoy as he was attending the commemoration anniversary of Sheikh Harb on February 16, 1992.
Later on February 12, 2008, Hezbollah’s top military commander Hajj Imad Moghniyeh was martyred in a car bomb attack carried out by Israeli Mossad agents.
Imad Mughniyeh headed Hezbollah’s military, commanding two of West Asia’s most resounding victories in 2000 and 2006 and inspiring the Resistance’s feared Radwan Force.
An illustration of a collection of photos released by the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah of late leader martyr Imad Mughniyeh, also known as Hajj Radwan. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Hady Dbouk)
“We are today commemorating the martyrdom of a legend of our time. [We frequently use the] term ‘legend’, bestowing upon various individuals. However, in truth, I do not know anyone, among the general mujahideen who have sacrificed their lives or among the fighters on the resistance front, those who stand on the brink of martyrdom and await it eagerly, I do not know among them a legend like the esteemed martyr Imad Mughniyeh.”
Former Commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force martyr Qassem Soleimani
Sixteen years have passed since the United States and reportedly Israeli intelligence services cowardly assassinated the top Hezbollah leader and strategist martyr Imad Mughniyeh in Syria on the night of February 12, 2008.
Since then, efforts have been made to unveil the obscured facets of the martyr’s personal and impeccable military life. Western media, however, have diligently endeavored to defame the “legend”, depicting him as a clever “terrorist” who outwitted even the world’s most sophisticated espionage organizations that were able to “find, fix, and finish” Mughniyeh after years of pursuit.
The West’s convoluted criteria for evaluating terrorism have resulted in the perplexing conflation of criminals and Nazis being hailed as national heroes, while those fighting for liberation are branded as “terrorists”. It appears that the sole discernible factor shaping an individual’s characterization is their impact on the interests of the US-led world order. Thwarting numerous imperialist plots, Hajj Radwan earned the dubious distinction of being labeled a “terrorist” by the West. This paradox becomes even more glaring when considering the wealth of written and visual material that illuminates the career of West Asia’s most prominent liberators, providing natives with the necessary background to celebrate him for his persistent and effective efforts that elevated his unwavering convictions toward realization.
Therefore, the need arises to translate and deliver to non-Arabic speaking individuals the biographies of West Asia’s greatest, including Imad Mughniyeh.
Below is a detailed narration of Imad Mughniyeh’s life, spanning from his formative years as a young man to the day of his martyrdom. Throughout this journey, he forged an indisputably inspirational legend, crafting a remarkable career of resistance that not only defined his era but also laid the crucial groundwork for those who would follow in his footsteps. Mughniyeh’s enduring legacy and organizational accolades serve as a beacon to the region’s hopes of national liberation, namely Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, bearing his codename in homage to his great career.
Origins (1962-1980)
Imad Mughniyeh was born in Chiyah, the Southern Suburb of Beirut, in 1962, an area neglected by central Lebanese authorities that largely housed working-class Lebanese, as well as Palestinian refugees.
His parents Amina Salameh and Fayez Mughniyeh had two other sons Jihad and Fouad, both of whom were martyred in 1985 and 1994 respectively. Pointing to this fact in particular, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, honored Mughniyeh’s parents for the great sacrifices they offered for the cause of liberation.
Originally from Tayr Debba, a small Lebanese village in the Sour district, the family, like thousands of others, moved to Beirut’s Suburbs, driven by Lebanon’s uneven development, which gave rise to multiple political movements. These movements, aimed to deconstruct systematic economic and representative “oppression”, pairing revolutionary values with the need to resist Israeli occupation forces.
Mughniyeh’s political upbringing (1981-1982)
The Palestinian National Liberation Movement – Fatah, headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon, saw the conscription of a substantial number of Lebanese youth, who fought under its ranks against the Israeli occupation and its allies in Lebanon. Mughniyeh is said to have spent a good portion of his youth among the ranks of one of Fatah’s elite units, although he was never a member of Fatah, where he gained essential training and began to develop his military know-how.
The success of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, under the leadership of the late Iranian leader Sayyed Ruhollah Khomeini, further ignited Mughniyeh’s revolutionary spirit who had pursued religious studies in Qom. Mughniyeh also headed the security team of the late and renowned Lebanese cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah.
The late leader met Ayatollah Khomeini twice during his lifetime, the first of which he accompanied Sayyed Fadlallah to the “Conference of the Oppressed.” In the second meeting, in 1981, Mughniyeh, still relatively young, only 19-20 years of age, talked to Sayyed Khomeini for around 30 minutes during which he made decisive decisions that formulated his religious and political convictions.
It is worth noting that these events were taking place in parallel to drastic geopolitical and local changes that led up to the next critical phase of the martyr’s life.
Resisting invading, occupying forces (1982-1985)
Israeli invasion
On June 6, 1982, Israeli occupation forces, under the direction of then-Security Minister and renowned war criminal Ariel Sharon, launched an invasion into southern Lebanon that reached the Lebanese capital of Beirut, with the aim of “squashing” Palestinian and Lebanese Resistance factions.
Mughniyeh, who was visiting Tehran, cut his stay and traveled back to Lebanon, assisting his comrades on several fronts in Khaldeh, Beirut, and the Southern Suburb of Beirut.
As a result, Mughniyeh suffered injuries to his leg during confrontations in the town of Ghobeireh in the Southern Suburb of Beirut. With the eventual withdrawal of the Fatah-led Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) from Beirut, Mughniyeh worked to utilize a substantial amount of weapons and ammunition left behind by the PLO, transferring the equipment to Resistance cells in South Lebanon.
Following the Israeli invasion, a group named the Islamic Jihad Organization began to conduct operations against Israeli and foreign forces in the country. Reportedly, Mughniyeh and others were part of the faction that claimed responsibility for multiple attacks. During this buffer period, from 1981 to 1985, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah began to crystalize to eventually launch its manifesto on the crucial day of the one-year anniversary of Sheikh Ragheb Harb’s assassination on February 16, 1985, with Hajj Radwan being one of its founders.
Israeli occupation forces conduct a ceremony at the Beirut airport in Lebanon, in September 1982. (AP)
Annihilating enemy HQs
Thinking outside of the box, the young Resistance fighter did not busy himself with direct confrontations with Israeli forces that occupied the second Arab capital, Beirut. Instead, the future leader began to plan tightly knit ambushes, focusing on inflicted damage on Israeli assets and troops behind enemy lines. Mughniyeh’s ambushes included sniper ambushes and the shelling of groupings of Israeli soldiers in South Lebanon. The first substantial operation that Mughniyeh commanded occurred on October 11, 1982, when a huge explosion went off in the headquarters of the Israeli occupation’s military governor in Sour.
11/11 will be remembered as the day that initiated the era of martyrdom operations, in which martyr Ahmad Kassir drove a Mercedes laden with 200 kg of explosives into the headquarters, detonating it upon arrival, killing 76 Israeli officers and soldiers in one go. Hezbollah would announce its responsibility for the attack and the name of the operation’s executor in 1985.
About a year after the martyrdom operation of Ahmad Qassir, another martyr attacked the Israeli intelligence headquarters in Sour. Israeli forces failed to stop the martyr, who turned the building into rubble, killing at least 29 Israeli troops. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, and the attacker’s name was never revealed.
US-led multinational force
In October 1983, then-US President Ronald Reagan’s administration accused Hajj Radwan of planning a bombing on the US embassy in Beirut, the headquarters and barracks of French paratroopers, and the US Marine Corps. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) offered a $25 million reward for his capture. Although no evidence of his or Hezbollah’s involvement was produced, Muyghniyeh rose to international prominence and his name became synonymous with the attacks that killed 241 US troops and 58 French paratroopers.
The FBI Forensic Laboratory’s personnel investigating the scene of the attack on the barracks compound said it was the largest non-nuclear blast that they have witnessed. Explosives equivalent to six tons of TNT destroyed the sites in a simultaneous attack conducted by two explosive-laden trucks. The attack marked the largest toll of killed US troops since World War II.
The operations came against the backdrop of a “multinational military coalition,” which included the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy, established in 1981. However, remarkable acts of Resistance brought the MNF’s plots to a quick end, marked by a series of unilateral withdrawals that concluded in March 1984.
Then-US Vice President George Bush, center, wearing a flak jacket and steel helmet, is briefed at the site of a truck bomb attack on the US Marine barracks, near Beirut airport, Lebanon. At left is Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Paul Kelly and right is Col. Timothy Geraghty, on October 26, 1983. (AP)
Hezbollah to the forefront (1985-1995)
Hajj Radwan played an intrinsic role in forming and propelling the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon -Hezbollah, however, details about the martyr’s personal life remained obscure. His role in the party remained hidden, forming his identity, eloquently described by Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, as the “man of the shadow.”
Forming the first security cell (1985)
An allegedly CIA and British intelligence-sponsored car bombing on the seven-story residential building and a cinema in Bir al-Abed, in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, on March 8, 1985, targeting Sayyed Fadlallah, whom Mughniyeh and his brother had close ties to, further motivated the Hezbollah leader. The bombing led to the martyrdom of 80 people and injury of 256, but Sayyed Fadlallah survived the assassination attempt. Those who planned the attack timed the bomb to go off as the worshippers left Friday Prayers, pointing to the maliciousness of the attackers.
Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, surrounded by his bodyguards, walks up to a mosque in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, for the funeral ceremony of the 80 victims of a car bombing attack blamed on the CIA whose target was Sayyed Fadlallah, on March 9, 1985. (AP)
According to Qaf Center, an organization devout to the “culture of Resistance,” which was established against the backdrop of Mughniyeh’s assassination, the Resistance leader and his comrades, “successfully targeted the entire network of agents associated with the bombing.”
Mughniyeh’s work established Hezbollah’s first security cell, responsible for taking out high-profile figures among enemy lines, including Israeli personnel and high-ranking collaborators.
The security war between Hajj Radwan and the Israelis, later known as the “Brains War”, would continue, marked by the operation of the martyr Abdullah Atwi in Mleeta and the bombing of the Israeli intelligence headquarters in Saida, Qaf’s explanatory cards explain.
The first Intifada (1987)
In parallel to the resounding first Intifada occurring in occupied Palestine, Islamic Resistance fighters under Mughniyeh’s command escalated their operation in confrontation with Israeli occupation forces in Lebanon. The leader conducted and commanded several defining top-tier operations against occupation soldiers.
Assassination of Sayyed al-Musawi, Buenos Aires (1992)
On February 16, 1992, the Israeli occupation assassinated Hezbollah’s leading figure and Secretary-General, Sayyed Abbas al-Musawi. The escalation was marked by another from the opposing side, which introduced the short-range Katyusha rockets. At the time, Imad Mughniyeh had been tasked with the role of leading the Resistance’s security apparatus.
Mughniyeh was directly accused of the bombings in Buenos Aires, Argentina, thousands of kilometers away from Lebanon. This included an operation on March 14, 1992, a few weeks after the assassination of al-Musawi, in which the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed.
A large poster displaying a collage of photos of Hezbollah’s late leaders and martyrs. Imad Mughniyeh, left, Sheik Ragheb Harb, right, and Sayyed Abbas al-Musawi, center, during an annual ceremony commemorating the lives of the three leaders on the anniversary of Sheikh Ragheb’s assassination, in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on February 16, 2022. (AP)
Katyusha rockets open new horizons (1993)
The Seven-Day War in July 1993, codenamed “Operation Accountability” by the Israeli forces, stands out as a critical moment, representing the widest and most intense Israeli military aggression since 1982. In the face of the enemy’s onslaught, which comprised 1,124 raids in which 28,000 shells were launched at Lebanese territories, Hezbollah demonstrated remarkable resilience.
Mughniyeh, in particular, played a pivotal role in orchestrating the defense strategy, effectively edging the balance toward the defenders. Through the group’s limited capabilities and against the overwhelming superiority of the Israeli war machine, Hezbollah was able to deliver stern responses to Israeli attacks. During this critical period, the leader skillfully employed multiple rocket launchers to impose a new equation. This strategic move not only showcased Hezbollah’s adaptability, under Hajj Radwan’s leadership but also transformed Israeli settlements in northern occupied Palestine into targets of the Resistance’s rockets.
The Dawn of Victory (1996-1999)
The Dawn of Victory against the Israeli occupation began to approach in 1996 with a broad escalation, represented by the Israeli-launched aggressions, codenamed “Grapes of Wrath” against Lebanon. Attempts to liquidate the Resistance had the opposite effects, as Hezbollah not only survived the onslaught but also began to turn the tide against the Israeli occupation.
One operation after the other, the occupation began to withdraw its forces from key areas in Lebanon, marking tangible victories for the Islamic Resistance.
On September 4, 1997, Hezbollah executed an ambush targeting the Israeli occupation’s elite Navy reconnaissance Shayetet Unit, in the Lebanese town of Ansariya located between the cities of Saida and Sour. A month earlier, an Israeli force had infiltrated the town of Kfour and planted a bomb, targeting a Resistance commander. The Shayetet force was expected to do the same in the coastal town of Ansariya, however, Hezbollah’s ambush killed 12 Israeli troops, marking the worst single-day toll in Lebanon since 1985. The Qaf center says the operation and others held the “signature” of Mughinyeh.
Topping off this era of operations was the assassination of Israeli Brigadier General Erez Gerstein, who commanded the Israeli occupation forces Liason Unit in South Lebanon. Gerstein and two other warrant officers were killed on March 2, 1999, after an improvised explosive device laid by Hezbollah fighters was set off between Ibl al-Saqi and Kawkaba.
The operation was conducted within what “Israel” called its “security zone”, to the south of the Litani River, marking yet another victory for Mughniyeh and his comrades.
Liberation of South Lebanon (2000-2006)
“Israel” sought to withdraw from Lebanon quietly as several cracks started to appear in its front, and while it expected its withdrawal from occupied southern Lebanon to be quiet and swept under the rug, that could not be further from the truth. They thought there would not be too many deaths — that they would be able to achieve a painless withdrawal — but Hajj Imad and his comrades thought differently. Their ideas became a crushing reality for the Israeli occupation.
Hajj Radwan insisted on humiliating the Zionist occupation, and after no more than 14 hours had passed on the killing of the treacherous Aql Hashem, the top collaborator with “Israel”, the Resistance dealt a serious blow to their ranks, with missile strikes and incursions showering the Israelis and their “Lebanese” collaborators until they were chased out of Lebanon, fleeing the wrath of the Resistance and the swords of liberation. The Israelis were pushed back beyond the border wall drawn up and erected by the colonialist powers.
Two Muslim clerics hold up a Hezbollah flag and an M-16 assault rifle near the “separation fence” in the village of Kfar Kila, South Lebanon, after the withdrawal of Israeli troops and collaborators from the area, on May 24, 2000. (AP)
Give the enemies no break
Not one day passed from January until the Day of Liberation in May without the Resistance irking the Israelis and turning their lives into a living hell, and thus, on May 25, 2000, victory was attained by the righteous rifles of the freed fighters, whose blood demarcates until this day the Lebanese borders, and while not all of Lebanon has been liberated, the plight of the Resistance and that of the oppressed will try day and night to make liberation a reality for not only the Lebanese but the Syrians and the Palestinians as well.
Just as Sayyed Nasrallah said, when commemorating the slain Resistance commander whose life’s purpose was the liberation of all Arab territories from the Western and Western-backed and -installed oppressors, the path Hajj Radwan paved for the Arab and Muslim youth will end in the victory of the righteous, and his actions will reverberate for generations and millennia to come.
“If the blood of Sheikh Ragheb [Harb] forced them off the majority of Lebanese territories, and if the blood of Sayyed Abbas [Moussawi] forced them out of the occupied border area with the exception of the Shebaa farms, the blood of Imar Mughniyeh will uproot them from existence if God wills it.”
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, February 14, 2008
The operations carried out by the Lebanese Resistance fighters inspired the people of southern Lebanon to go back home, parading their villages once again after they had been usurped by the colonial entity for years. Resistance, in this case, had come full circle: after it was born from the wounds of the people of South Lebanon and used as a tool to confront the occupiers, it, in itself, gave impetus to the people to retake their land in an emotional and inspirational battle that ensured the liberty of not just a few kilometers of Lebanese territory, but that of an entire nation.
As Hajj Imad joined the people of South Lebanon in their return to their homes, his wish had come true, as he got to breathe in the fresh air of occupied Palestine that the Lebanese had been forbidden from for 52 years at that point, and amid his overwhelming sense of joy, he cut off a piece of the barbed wire separating Lebanon from its occupied neighbor whose liberation was within a whisker.
Hezbollah fighters wave their guns and flags toward occupied Palestine next to the “separation fence” in the border town of Kfar Kila, South Lebanon, on May 24, 2000. (AP)
Turning the tide
His lifelong goal and dream of liberating occupied Palestine was just right there, within reach, and none of his sacrifices, losses, and hardships mattered anymore, for he was breathing the beautifully crisp air of occupied Palestine for the first time in his life.
While the liberation of the southern Lebanese territories, with the sole exception of the Shebaa Farms, Kfar Chouba Hills, and al-Ghajar town, was achieved, this historical landmark would be nowhere near the end goal, for Hajj Imad had his eyes set beyond breathing Palestinian air through the unjustly erected border fence; he wanted to roam Palestine and breathe in the air of occupied al-Quds, and the struggle was just getting started.
Hajj Radwan’s career up to this moment signified an all-out comeback of the Resistance, cementing the choice of confrontation rather than impotent political settlements. Hajj Imad and those who trod with him on the path of Resistance suffered multiple letdowns of failing Arab armies and the relocation of the PLO away from Lebanon. However, the sheer persistence and clever execution of top-tier strikes turned the tide of West Asia and put the imperialists and colonialists on the back foot.
Mughniyeh ignited the fire in enemy territory
In the early 2000s, Hajj Imad’s name was reverberating across not only the Israeli occupation but the collective West as a whole, with international intelligence agencies seeking him in connection to the smuggling of rockets to the occupied Gaza Strip; little did they know, not only was he supplying the Resistance with the appropriate weapons to uproot the occupying Israeli regime, he was training Palestinian Resistance fighters in Gaza, forming the nucleus of what would become the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades and the Popular Resistance Committees’ al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades, according to Qaf.
A year into Lebanon’s liberation, there were more leads linking the legendary Resistance leader to the Palestinian Resistance and its supply chain of armaments, from the capture of the Santorini ship on May 21 during its fourth mission to the Karine-A ship caught in the Red Sea in May 2002. In both incidents, Israeli authorities pointed their fingers at Hajj Radwan being a main supporter of the Palestinian Resistance and claimed that he was deeply connected to the Fatah Resistance Movement and its leader, Yasser Arafat.
Mughniyeh’s dedication to aiding regional Resistance movements did not stop upon the Israeli withdrawal beyond the “Blue Line”; it was only given impetus, for when he experienced the slightest bit of freedom, he was not going to stop there, digging viciously to reach the end of the tunnel that would see the uprooting of the Israeli regime from occupied Palestine.
Gaza’s liberation (2005)
Mughniyeh’s efforts, namely the training of Palestinian youths and his coordination of the supply of armaments to the Gaza Strip, were heavily disruptive for the Israelis, who could not find a way to dry up the supply of weapons to Gaza, and led the Israeli occupation to start its first phase of withdrawal from Gaza 38 years into its occupation of the Palestinian territory. The steadfast resistance of Palestinians, supported by Mughniyeh and his comrades, forced an armed force, proclaimed as one of the top ranking regionally, to leave with its tail between its legs from a territory that is a mere 365km².
Preparing for what is to come
The great Lebanese Resistance commander, whose compass knew nothing but Palestine, worked around the clock to prepare for the upcoming war, developing unprecedented strategies that put to shame any other guerilla warfare and transforming the essence of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon greatly by nurturing its military and spiritual sides. Most importantly, his efforts led the Resistance to have a missile arsenal like no other, efforts that were built upon for years to come and that wound up putting tens of thousands of rockets and missiles, and even ballistic missiles, in Hezbollah’s possession, rendering it more of an existential threat to the Israeli occupation than it had ever been.
Concurrently, Hajj Radwan was appointed as the military assistant to Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. The event marked a great transformation in the movement’s organizational structure, as the role of the assistant was previously upheld by three commanders rather than one.
Mughniyeh had mastered the art of war, achieving accolades in every possible sector of military and security work. According to Hezbollah’s Executive Council Deputy Chief, Sheikh Nabil Qawouq, Mughniyeh started to plan for the next stage of confrontation with the Israeli enemy as soon as South Lebanon was liberated in May 2000. Sheikh Qawouq, who accompanied Mughniyeh during the period of Liberation, said that he had told him that a plan to liberate Resistance fighters imprisoned by Israeli forces had already begun to crystalize.
In this context, Sayyed Nasrallah revealed that Mughniyeh headed a top-secret mission to train dozens of Hezbollah fighters on the use of anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). The project remained a complete secret until the outbreak of the 2006 war, proving essential in the movement’s defensive strategy.
Hajj Imad’s efforts extended far beyond the notion of Resistance as an armed struggle, for his contributions on the cultural and intelligence levels were quintessential to the establishment of Hezbollah as a regional and even international force to be reckoned with. He focused on nurturing and developing human resources in the military, security, cultural, and spiritual aspects. He also developed Hezbollah’s communication network and systems, allowing its communication to be covert and safe from hostile interference, and from that, he focused on reconnaissance and cyberwarfare.
Aiming to break the West’s monopoly on information, especially on security-related issues, he established a specialized unit for monitoring and translating Western and Hebrew scientific security studies, research reports, and media. Mughniyeh closely followed details related to the enemy, its arsenal, and the military status quo, seeking to understand various aspects of the Israeli occupation.
Mughniyeh invested in the victory on the public and media fronts, meeting with numerous top officials and coordinating high-level meetings on the regional level while also encouraging the masses to visit the territories liberated by the Lebanese Resistance in 2000 in order to boost morale and show the people what could be achieved through resistance and armed struggle.
July 12 – August 14, 2006
On July 12, 2006, Hajj Radwan’s plan to attain the release of those remaining in Israeli prisons materialized. After conducting several exercises simulating the event, Hezbollah’s Resistance fighters executed Operation Truthful Promise to a tee, taking [the bodies of] two Israeli soldiers captive to make the exchange.
With news of the successful operation reaching top Israeli officials, then Israeli Prime Minister promised Lebanon a “very painful and far-reaching response.” Soon after, the Israeli cabinet authorized an aggression on the country until the two Israeli soldiers taken captive were returned.
Mughniyeh commanded Hezbollah’s forces, which fended off the most-ever egregious Israeli aggression on Lebanon. Hezbollah’s ATGM program proved quintessential in Bint Jbeil and Maroun al-Ras, where an extremely small number of fighters pushed back against entire Israeli battalions. The sheer asymmetry between the two sides marked one of history’s most shocking defeats and what was later known as Hezbollah and Lebanon’s Divine Victory.
Mughniyeh, Sayyed Nasrallah, and the Quds Force commander Hajj Qassem Soleimani closely followed all the details of the military operations. Hajj Radwan’s role on the ground included following up with combat and support, accompanying the progress of operations, and determining the timing of “surprises”. He was also responsible for protecting the leadership of Hezbollah, and he was keen on checking on his fellow fighters.
The epic of 2006 was concluded on August 14, later leading to the achievement of the Resistance goals behind the operation.
Liberated prisoner Samir Kantar salutes people as he arrives to pay respect at the grave of Hezbollah military commander martyr Imad Mughniyeh, in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on July 17, 2008. (AP)
Assassination and Radwan Force (2008)
While his career was shrouded in mystery and his entire biography was unknown, living his life in secret and only being known to the enemy as “Radwan”, and after being chased by over 40 intelligence apparatuses over the course of 25 years, the iconic Resistance mystery figure wound up being known to the public in one of the most heart-aching ways possible; with his 2008 assassination that brought pain and sorrow to those who knew his importance to the Axis of Resistance.
Mughniyeh was assassinated in Damascus’ Kfar Sousa, after holding a meeting with top officials in the Axis of Resistance. A joint Mossad-CIA plot brought the great martyr’s career in the Resistance to an end. In detail, operatives of the intelligence agencies switched out one of his SUV’s tires for an explosive-laden tire, engineered in the United States, which instantly killed Hajj Radwan upon detonation.
“They should hear me well: [Imad Mughniyeh] has left behind for you, tens of thousands of fighters, well-trained and prepared, ready for martyrdom.”
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, February 14, 2008
While he is still mourned 16 years later, Mughniyeh established the groundwork for Hebzollah’s military and security operations, which have been carried on by his comrades and students. Following the 2006 war on Lebanon, Mughniyeh began to plan for the next step on the path of liberation. His vision involved creating a commando force capable of penetrating deep into enemy territory. Though the force was not fully established before his tragic assassination, Hezbollah’s commanders honored the Resistance leader’s legacy by naming it the “Radwan Force”.
Today, the Radwan Force, encompassing various units, such as armored units, fire-support units, anti-armored units, and a media unit, stands as the embodiment of Mughniyeh’s strategic foresight. Its primary objective is to launch a large-scale operation in al-Jalil, occupied Palestine. Mughniyeh’s codename continues to haunt Israeli officials, occupiers, and settlers, underscoring the lasting impact of his contributions to West Asia’s Resistance movements.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah reiterated that Hezbollah will continue its border offensive against the Israeli occupation sites near Lebanon border till the Zionist barbaric war on Gaza ends.
“When the aggression on Gaza stops fire will be ceased in South Lebanon,” Sayyed Nasrallah said.
Sayyed Nasrallah made his remarks while addressing Hezbollah ceremony held to mark the anniversary of the Birth of Imam Hussein (A.S.), Imam Sajjad (A.S.) and Abu Fadl Al-Abbas on Shaaban 4 and 5 and honor the prisoners and wounded fighters of the Islamic Resistance.
Hezbollah Secretary General commented on the recent threats made by the Zionist defense minister Yoav Gallant who said that the IOF will not stop aggression on South Lebanon even after Gaza ceasefire, stressing that, then, Hezbollah will continue its offensive.
“When the war on Gaza ends, we will stop our offensive. If the enemy resumes its hostilities, we will, act in light of the rules and the formulas.”
It is Hezbollah duty and responsibility to deter the enemy and prevent the assault on Lebanon, Sayyed Nasrallah affirmed, adding that the Resistance responses will be proportionate, yet effective and productive.
Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that the hundreds of thousands of settlers already displaced from the North will not be able to return to their homes in case of escalation.
‘Israel’ must prepare shelters, basements, hotels and schools to house 2 million settlers who will be displaced from northern Palestine if it expands the war zone, Sayyed Nasrallah warned.
If the Israeli enemy expands its war zone against Lebanon, Hezbollah will do too, Sayyed Nasrallah emphasized.
Hezbollah Resistance is more powerful, certain and determined than ever, Sayyed Nasrallah confirmed, stressing that the outcome of the ongoing battle will be the defeat of the Zionist enemy.
Hezbollah Leader emphasized that the border offensive being carried out by the Resistance has maintained the deterrence formula between Lebanon and the Zionist entity, adding that the foreign delegations are visiting Beirut, thanks to the battle.
Sayyed Nasrallah pointed out that the Israeli enemy takes into consideration numerous factors when it mulls any attack on Lebanon for fear of Hezbollah.
All the foreign delegations coming to Lebanon from US, UK, EU and some Arab countries have one goal: protecting Israel’s security, according to Sayyed Nasrallah.
All the foreign mediators ask the Lebanese officials and Hezbollah to restore ceasefire on Lebanon border in order to let the Zionist settlers displaced from northern Palestine to return to their homes, Sayyed Nasrallah added.
Sayyed Nasrallah maintained that the foreign mediators adopt all the Zionist demands regardless of all the Lebanese interests and considerations, adding that they procrastinate when the discussion tackles Gaza ceasefire and the liberation of Lebanon’s territories occupied by the Zionist enemy.
His eminence highlighted that Hezbollah coordinates the responses to the foreign delegations’ offers with the Lebanese officials hosting them, including mainly House Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker premier Najib Mikati.
Sayyed Nasrallah noted that, regardless of the actual Zionist plans, the foreign delegations have been intimidating the Lebanese officials by conveying false Israeli threats.
One month ago, one mediator said that the Israeli enemy would launch an all-out war on Lebanon within two days if Hezbollah does not cease fire on the border, Sayyed Nasrallah said, reiterating that these threats will fail to oblige Hezbollah to halt the border battle.
Sayyed Nasrallah addressed the foreign mediators and some Lebanese parties offering Hezbollah a battle end under certain conditions, stressing that ‘Israel’ is not powerful enough to impose its terms and Lebanon is not weak to make concessions.
It is the Israeli army which failed during four months to defeat the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, Sayyed Nasrallah said, calling on the Lebanese officials to include more Lebanese items and terms in the implementation of the UN Resolution 1701.
“It is easier to move Litani River forward to the borders than pushing back Hezbollah fighters from the borders to the Litani River,” Sayyed Nasrallah said.
Sayyed Nasrallah warned that some Lebanese parties are involved in promoting and exaggerating the Israeli threats in order to intimidate the pro-Resistance citizens, reporting some phone calls which impersonate Israeli characters in order to convey fake threats.
Those base acts must be tried by the judicial authorities on charges of betrayal, Sayyed Nasrallah stressed.
Hezbollah Chief also warned against the misuse of the mobile phones and all the technological devices, including the surveillance cameras, connected to the internet, stressing that it is a spy gadget that provides the enemy will all the needed data without needing a real traitor on ground.
It is religiously prohibited to use such devices in a way that endangers the Resistance, nation and dignity, his eminence noted.
Regarding the local debate in Lebanon about Hezbollah border offensive, Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that some parties are deaf, dumb and blind.
Sayyed Nasrallah said that some Lebanese parties have prejudices and accordingly reject the logic of resistance without any plausible argument, adding that disputes among the Lebanese pertaining the resistance issue have been ongoing since 1948 and must not be given a sectarian aspect.
Those parties will never acknowledge the rightfulness of the resistance path despite all the achievements, yet falsely rely on the international community’s role in protecting Lebanon, his eminence said.
Sayyed Nasrallah called on the Resistance supporters to avoid engaging in debates with those parties, underlining the importance of addressing those who may accept the logical arguments.
Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that the Lebanese southerners are bearing the main burden of the border confrontation with the Zionist enemy, adding that most of the Resistance martyrs in this battle descend from the border towns.
The majority of the dwellers of border villages have always witnessed that the Resistance defends them, so they have embraced it with all the challenges of the battles and military confrontations which leave martyrs, injuries and massive destruction, Sayyed Nasrallah said, highlighting that the destroyed houses in the ongoing battle will be rebuilt to be better than it was.
Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that Hezbollah border offensive springs from the religious and moral duty and responsibility of supporting Gaza against the Zionist aggression despite all the stances which blame the Resistance Party for this escalation.
Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that ‘Israel’ has failed over 130 days to achieve any target in Gaza war, except the monstrous attacks on the civilians.
Concerning the Zionist war on Gaza, Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that he will address more details about during a speech he is scheduled to deliver on Friday (February 16) the anniversary of Hezbollah Martyr Commanders.
Sayyed Nasrallah felicitated Hezbollah wounded fighters and prisoners as well as their families on their day, stressing that their sacrifices have earthly and divine merits.
It is our responsibility to preserve the achievements made by the sacrifices of the prisoners and the wounded, Sayyed Nasrallah maintained.
All our prisoners have been liberated, thanks to the sacrifices of resistance, Sayyed Nasrallah said.
Sayyed Nasrallah also indicated that Iran has chosen Imam Hussein (A.S.) Birthday as the Revolutionary Guard Day, congratulating the IRGC and highlighting that how the axis of resistance has benefited from the blessings of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah makes a monumental address to the 12th Gaza Conference in Iran, discussing a myriad of points.
The Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, addressed the attendees of the “12th Conference of Gaza: A Symbol of Resistance,” which was held in Tehran on Saturday.
Sayyed Nasrallah’s address came in the form of a letter read out by Hezbollah’s representative Abdullah Safieddine who attended the conference in Iran.
The leader of the Lebanese party emphasized that Operation Al-Aqsa Flood struck down all attempts to eliminate the Palestinian cause. Stressing the cruciality of the conference, which comes at a historic moment for the Palestinian cause, Sayyed Nasrallah said the event demonstrates the organizers’ sense of responsibility toward the Palestinian people, their cause, and their Resistance.
“We all have grave responsibilities, which [require us to be constantly] alert to mobilize the Ummah’s capabilities in support of the Palestinian people and in support of their valiant Resistance,” Sayyed Nasrallah wrote.
He explained that the Palestinian Resistance “is rightly writing, with its sacrifices, heroism, the blood of its men, and [steadfastness of its people], the future of the Ummah, preserving its dignity and consolidating its strength.”
Marking the successes of the Palestinian Resistance, the leader of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon pointed to the large human losses suffered by the Israeli occupation’s military in the Gaza Strip. He said that the amount of losses suffered far exceeds what the Israeli occupation suffered in the 1967 Six Day War, which involved the armies of multiple Arab nations.
Moreover, the leader shed light on the fact that the Israeli military, which occupied more than 69,000 km2 in the 1967 war, is currently experiencing defeat in a much smaller territory — the Gaza Strip.
Bidirectional plot to legitimize ‘Israel’: Failing
On another note, the Resistance leader discussed the political plots to “legitimize” the Israeli occupation on an international and regional level, in what he explained is a bidirectional plot to do so.
He explained that this plot has seen the cooperation of Israelis and “their masters” and concentrated on legitimizing the occupation on an international level and weakening and stifling the Resistance of the Palestinian people.
Firstly, “Israel” and its allies worked on whitewashing the occupation’s image, seeking to portray it as a “civilized entity” worthy of emulation by other governments in the region as a flawless model, Sayyed Nasrallah asserted.
He said that the plan reaped great results for the alliance, due to its hegemonic control over major international institutions and Western governments.
Secondly, “Israel” and its allies worked to weaken and stifle the Resistance and liquidate the Palestinian cause, attempting to eliminate the topic from popular discourse. In detail, the alliance depended on brute force, as well as promoting normalization with the region’s regimes.
He said that the alliance’s push to normalize relations with regimes in the region is a multi-faceted project aimed at subjugating the will of the Ummah, squandering its central cause — Palestine — and shattering the unity of political choices. Sayyed Nasrallah said that the world was on the verge of witnessing the limiting of the scope of the Palestinian cause to Palestinians themselves, which would have isolated it from the people of the Ummah, severely weakening it and placing it on the path of decline.
The leader of Lebanon’s Islamic Resistance continued, “At this critical moment, the Resistance’s Al-Aqsa Flood came to shuffle the cards, alter (political) calculations, and turn the threat into an advanced existential opportunity — a turning point in the [plots] that the enemies have worked [to advance] for a long time.”
Sayyed Nasrallah said the events of October 7 and what proceeded have been “deeply engraved in the hearts of the Zionists” to constantly remind them of the “irreversible defeat” that they suffered.
He said that the Operation shattered the Israeli “myth”, bringing to light the entity’s “eroding prestige” and “shaky project”. The leader said that Al-Aqsa Flood pushed back the Palestinian cause, which the Israelis sought to stifle, to dominating global discourse and politics, “reawakening it once again” to spread throughout the “world’s corridors”.
A beacon of unity
Sayyed Nasrallah said that the Operation dealt a severe blow to all conspirators, “near and far,” who attempted to “erase the Palestinian cause.” He reiterated a strong belief that the Palestinian cause “would not have survived without its Resistance, its rifle, and its sacrifices.”
He stressed that the brutal massacres and crimes executed by the Israeli regime all aim to cover up the image of resounding defeat that the occupation had suffered on October 7.
The leader stressed that despite US-UK-led West’s exhaustive attempts to impose “projects of fragmentation, deception, and manipulation,” Palestine stood solely as “the only beacon of unity.” The leader described Palestine as a “converging path, a foundation for [the Ummah’s] awakening, and a bridge to a [good] future awaited by” the people of this region.
Supporting fronts marks unprecedented achievements
In his letter, Sayyed Nasrallah paid special attention to the role of factions supporting the Palestinian Resistance, in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. He said that the actions of these factions surpassed the Israeli regime’s expectations, adding that they successfully besieged the entity with consistent fire for more than 100 days.
This, to Sayyed Nasrallah, is “an unprecedented achievement.”
The blood of the martyrs who supported Gaza on all the aforementioned fronts, in addition to Iran’s martyrs, including Seyyed Razi Mousavi, has been “united, merged and integrated with the blood of martyrs in Gaza and the West Bank.”
Marking their unity by taking aim at the common enemy has disturbed the enemies of the Ummah, Sayyed Nasrallah wrote. In this context, he emphasized the need to work on strengthening, deepening, and extending this unity, which has been marked by “blood, rifles, battlefields, and goals”.
Resistance is the only option
Importantly, the Resistance leader said, “Whoever thinks this nation has an option other than resistance is mistaken and extremely deluded.”
He explained that “Israel” occupied Palestine through brute force — not diplomacy. Expanding on this point, Sayyed Nasrallah said the use of brute force has been a common historical practice of “Israel”, which deployed the same strategy to occupy Beirut in 1982 and today threatens the nation with its military arsenal and brute force.
Drawing a comparison to the achievements of the Resistance, Sayyed Nasrallah underlined the fact that “Israel” did not withdraw from Lebanon due to diplomacy but was forcibly pushed out by the Resistance.
“[The occupation] will not withdraw from Gaza and Palestine except through resistance.”
Addressing the ongoing battle, Sayyed Nasrallah clarified that confronting the enemy cannot be sized down to a “one or two-day affair.” On the contrary, he said the struggle takes a continuous, ongoing, and cumulative form.
“We must remain vigilant. The arrogant countries gathering their fleets to support Israel confirms its weakness and instability. We must consolidate our determination by adhering to the choice of resistance. If the conditions for the liberation of Palestine are not available today, we must prepare for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.”
International institutions: Futile
Sayyed Nasrallah emphasized that betting on international institutions and the so-called international community is futile and is destined to fail.
“Such a bet that only produces [feelings of] regret, loss, disappointment, and bitterness.”
The Resistance leader said that international institutions cannot advance the plight of the nation, since they are “subject to the will of the US administration.”
“Their latest farce was the decision condemning Yemen for targeting Israeli ships in defense of Gaza in order to legitimize the US-British aggression on Ansar Allah, ignoring the millions of Palestinian citizens, including martyrs, wounded, detainees, hungry, thirsty, and displaced.”
Hezbollah fighter, on border guard duty, sitting astride a motorbike blocking the pathway of an Israeli Merkava tank that had broken through the electric fence into Lebanese territories, the photo was taken by Al-Manar correspondent Ali Sheaib, Jalet al-Mahafer, 2022 (Al Mayadeen English- Designed by Mahdi Rtail)
To analyze and contextualize the burgeoning war in south Lebanon, this paper borrows the theoretical concepts of Galtung’s conflict theory and reviews Amal Saad’s recent article on The Guardian.
More than 100 days have passed since Al-Aqsa Flood came crashing down on the colonial outpost of US imperialism in West Asia; the tide has been only gaining momentum since. The war quickly spilled over beyond the territories of Occupied Palestine to include south Lebanon most notably.
Revisiting Johan Galtung’s Conflict Theory, this paper will borrow theoretical concepts introduced by Galtung to analyze and structure Al-Aqsa Flood. Galtung introduces a set of simplistic classifications and twin criteria that bring burgeoning conflicts into perspective and allow for a formal analysis.
The two classifications that I chose to expound on are Scale and Intensity. Scale will be useful to lay out the overarching context to then zero in on Lebanon which is the primary subject of study for this paper. Intensity serves to demonstrate conflict as being dynamic fluctuating along lines of escalation and de-escalation.
An interesting nuance that Galtung formalizes is that between Latent Conflict and Manifest Conflict. The former describes the underlying tensions, between two parties, that are not yet explicitly acted upon (typically, this state of affairs is understood to be “Negative Peace” where Direct Violence is absent). The latter describes the state of affairs where strife is actively occurring (Direct Violence breaks out).
Development from Latent Conflict into Manifest Conflict can also be understood using the heuristic of Galtung’s ABC Triangle of Violence. In the Triangle, Galtung pinpoints three focal points in conflict: Attitude, Behavior, and Contradiction. In the case of liberation struggles, as is the struggle against Zionist colonialism and US imperialism, the Contradiction is the nexus, the primary focal point from which violence spirals out of: the spiral of violence originates from Contradiction anddevelopsinto Attitudes and Behaviors. In Behavior, it develops as manifest conflict. In Attitude, it develops as latent conflict.
Galtung’s ABC Triangle of Violence: Contradiction Spiral (Illustrated by Arwa Makki)
Conflict Scale: Beligrents and Fronts
Gaza became ground zero for the war on October 7th, but Al-Aqsa Flood has resonated all throughout the region since.
Beligrents in support of the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza have included the Palestinian resistance factions in the West Bank, the Lebanese Resistance, the Islamic Resistance factions in Iraq, the Yemeni Armed Forces, the resistance, and the Islamic Revolution’s Guard in Iran. Beligrents on the side of the Israelis have included the US-led occupation coalition in Syria, the US-led occupation coalition in Iraq, the US-led aggression coalition in the Red Sea, and the Takfiri terrorist network in the region (Daesh, Jaish ul-Adl, etc.).
Fronts from which operations are being launched directly against the Israeli occupation, in addition to Gaza, include most notably South Lebanon (which serves as the second battlefront of this war), the West Bank (where lone-wolf stabbing/shooting/ramming operations and counter-raid concerted action by underground resistance cells have increased in frequency), in addition to Syria Iraq and Yemen (from where drones and missiles have been launched against the occupied territories most notably Al-Jalil “Galilee Heights”, Um Al-Rashrash “Eilat”, and even recently Haifa).
Complimentary fronts, from where operations don’t directly target “Israel” but rather aim to build up pressure on “Israel” and its imperialist proppers to consolidate a ceasefire in Gaza. These complimentary fronts include the Red and Arabian Seas (where the Yemeni Armed Forces and Resistance have enforced a naval blockade against Israeli and “Israel”-bound ships), northeast Syria (where US and coalition occupation bases are being shelled by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq), and Iraq (where, similarly, US and coalition occupation are being shelled by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq).
Concentric Fronts Surrounding “Israel” (Illustrated by Mahdi Rtail)
Mired “Israel” thrashes at the entire region
Throughout modern history, all parties involved in materially supporting the Palestinian resistance have been punished by being subjected to imperialist and zionist terrorism. Prior to the war, it had manifested primarily as economic sanctions (with the exception of Gaza, the West Bank, and Syria which had frequently fallen subject to Israeli military aggression in addition to economic sanctions).
After the war, especially after being frustrated by the little-yielding ground invasion of Gaza, this terrorism had manifested in brazenly more savage means. Over the span of the war, the Israeli occupation bombed Palestine Lebanon & Syria and US occupation forces bombed both Iraq and Yemen.
Jointly, the US imperialist forces and the Israeli Occupation Forces assassinated prominent resistance commanders: including IRGC commander Razi Mousavi (by “Israel”), Hamas politburo official Saleh al-Arouri(by “Israel”), Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah commander Moshtaq al-Saidi (by the US), and most recently Hezbollah high-ranking commander Wissam Tawil (by “Israel”)
In addition to a US-UK large-scale aerial aggression against Yemen last week, and the Daesh twin-terrorist bombings that targeted hundreds of Iranian civilians earlier this month.
Digressing briefly, Iran has long been sanctioned for materially and consistently supporting the Palestinian resistance: Economic embargos, political subversion, covert sabotage operations, assassinations, terrorist attacks, etc. The Islamic Republic of Iran even before getting involved in any proactive military action, before becoming neither a front nor a belligerent, has been subjected to imperialist warmongering and the terrorism of imperialism’s takfiri footsoldiers: affirming the persistent neocon tradition of hawkishness in the White House but discreetly through proxies.
Conflict Intensity: escalation or de-escalation
Carrying on with Galtung’s theory, violence as he defines is tripartite Direct Violence (commonly militaristic), Structural Violence (commonly in law or regime), and Cultural Violence (commonly in beliefs and consequent attitudes). The latter two are latent forms of violence: characteristic of Latent Conflict. The former is the manifest form of violence: characteristic of Manifest Conflict.
Manifest Conflict follows from an escalation in Latent Conflict. Similarly, escalation beyond a certain threshold would lead a Manifest Conflict to become an Escalated Conflict. Furthermore, Galtung details that a Conflict if escalated develops into Crisis or War (throughout the paper I will not be committing to the gradation-escalation levels of conflict, crisis, and war; I will be using war and conflict interchangeably).
Violence Intensity (Illustrated by Arwa Makki)
Conflict is not a sudden state of affairs that flutters in and out of existence at the whims of the conflict parties but rather is a long-lasting state of affairs that fluctuates along a scale of intensity, escalating and de-escalating: becoming dormant at times and resurfacing at others based on the development of events, and ceasing to exist only when the contradiction of interests is resolved (i.e. Positive Peace or Sustainable Peace is achieved).
This prospect of escalation is best understood as formulated by the Fourth Law of Dialectics: Quantity into Quality. A state of affairs intensifies accumulatively till it reaches a threshold whereby quantitative increase is not possible anymore and the state of affairs changes qualitatively into a different state of affairs (Politzer, 1946).
Gaza and South Lebanon: the build-up to the war
Despite the macroscopic scale of Al-Aqsa Flood, Gaza and south Lebanon remain thus far the only active battlefronts against the Israeli occupation.
Throughout recent history both Lebanon (primarily the South) and Palestine (primarily Gaza) have suffered severely under the plight of US-sponsored Israeli aggression: massacres, forced displacement, and occupation.
In this struggle, the two nations grew more radicalized against their enemy (bearing arms and organizing their people into resistance movements) and steadily consolidated their binational solidarity (institutionalizing their alliance and proliferating it as the Axis of Resistance).
In Gaza, in recent years, the latent structural violence of colonialism has been brazenly intensifying, especially with the extremist right-wing Cabinet headed by Netanyahu (installed in late 2022) and the increasingly frequent incidents of settler violence in the West Bank and al-Quds. October 7th 2023 was the threshold day. Violence broke out on a large scale after the Palestinian resistance had launched the long-deliberated operation that was the natural result of years of intensifying oppression. Latent Conflict developed into a Manifest Conflict and escalated at a sharp pace with the savage bombing campaigns and the ground invasion. The aggression against Gaza quickly snowballed into an all-out War (a high-intensity conflict).
Galtung’s Triangle of the Types Violence: Structural Violence Spiral (illustrated by Arwa Makki)
In Lebanon, the front erupted following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and in solidarity with the Palestinian Resistance. (Despite the intertwined stakes of Lebanese national interest and Palestinian national interest in contradiction to Israeli security) there was no buildup of a recent Latent Conflict between Lebanon and the Israeli occupation that reached a threshold on October 8th (in contrast to Gaza). The eruption of the front in south Lebanon came to echo Operation Al-Aqsa Flood i.e. in solidarity with the people of Gaza and their valiant and honorable resistance (as the opening of the resistance’s military statements commonly read).
Patience and far-sightedness
However other latent frustrations in Lebanon preceded the eruption of the battlefront. In addition to solidarity with Gaza and anticipating long-term advantages to Lebanese national interest, a key factor that goes unnoticed is the latent economic frustrations.
To digress again, when discussing the war build-up, a key prospect that commonly goes unnoticed is the radicalizing effect that the economic crisis has had on the Lebanese. In addition to national interest, binational solidarity, and religious fervor which are the primary drives mobilizing the Lebanese towards anti-zionist resistance, the prospect of accumulated economic frustration has radicalized a large segment of the Lebanese population against imperialism which was perceived to play a key role in enabling such a drastic crisis in Lebanon.
For the past 5 years, the Lebanese have experienced the worst socio-economic crisis in recent history after the Ponzi scheme engineered by the US-propped central bank chief crashed. A systematically un-industrial rentier economy structured by the US and the Gulf back in the 1990s broke down: coupled with active efforts to economically pressure Lebanon to draw political concessions regarding the resistance. In addition to a sectarian consociational regime of governance that is doomed into recurrent cases of zero-sum game gridlock, making it impossible for a government to make decisions regarding the economy, public policy, or foreign relations. Recent years have exercised an extensive economic strain on the Resistance.
Lebanese stability recurrently faltered as “protracted social conflict” seemed to sharpen in light of dire economic conditions (Edward Azar, 1990): with Christian right-wing parties and liberal NGO-type groups blaming the resistance for the crisis (for refusing to make the political concessions dictated by the West and the Gulf States that would restore the old insovereign rentier economic system).
Thus, the extensive social and economic strain on the milieu of the Resistance or the “masses of the Resistance” (as Sayyed Nasrallah commonly refers to them), radicalized them further against the US: who pulled out the centerpiece of the make-shift kaleidoscopic Lebanese economy they had engineered sending it crashing down on Hezbollah.
This new level of anti-imperialist radicalization among a segment of the Lebanese reaffirmed the aptness of the decision to organize into anti-zionist resistance factions; for “Israel” is understood to be an advanced outpost for imperialism in the region, and the security of “Israel” is understood to be one the primary objectives of imperialism in the region (in addition to accumulating super-profits for oligarchs).
If this frustration has been discharged satisfactorily by any means it was through anti-zionist military action. It’s poetic justice for the Lebanese to threaten Israeli security after being economically bullied for 5 years to concede to “Israel” its security by disarming the resistance.
Low-Intensity Conflict in South Lebanon
In Gaza, a latent conflict steadily intensified until a manifest conflict broke out: quickly escalating into a high-intensity conflict. In Lebanon, however, the conflict was the result of intensifying latent frustrations, national interest, and binational solidarity.
On October 8th, the front erupted in Lebanon and it has steadily escalated since, however, it has thus far remained, arguably, a low-intensity conflict.
Since the commencement of the first operation, the Lebanese resistance has deliberated not to give in to the appeal of adventurism (going all in for all-out war): for a set of reasons elucidated in the speeches of the Secretary-General of Hezbollah (which include losing the advantage of a surprise attack, the weakened Lebanese economy, as well as the comparative advantage of low-intensity conflict etc).
This strategy of decisively targeting Israeli military sites within the framework of a low-intensity conflict has proved effective in accumulatively inflicting small losses on the IOF (Israeli Occupation Forces), and building up pressure on “Israel”. The immediate and announced objective of the operations from Lebanon has been clear: building up pressure on “Israel” to concede to a ceasefire in Gaza.
In the long term, the persistence of the status quo of low-intensity warfare within the frame of the laws of engagement of deterrence between the Lebanese resistance and the Israeli Occupation Forces is a lot more harmful to “Israel” than it is to Lebanon given the nature of the conflict (profit-driven colonizers vs a popular indigenous liberation movement).
“You can kill ten of my men for every one I kill of yours, but even at those odds, you will lose and I will win.”
-Vietnamese Communist Revolutionary Ho Chi Minh to French Colonizers on the eve of the liberation war (1946)
Low-intensity conflict: accumulative small gains, minimized losses
On the Lebanese battlefront, as aforementioned, the war burgeons within the framework of a low-intensity conflict which allows for decisive contained hits: accumulating in advantage.
In 100 days, the Lebanese resistance has executed more than 700 operations against the occupation. The resistance targetted all front-line military sites along the borders and even managed to target 17 settlements, according to figures cited by the Secretary General of Hezbollah in a speech earlier this month.
While the IOF continues to underreport losses fearing demoralization in the settler society, Israeli media outlets report that hospitals have been abounding with injured soldiers and cemeteries with killed soldiers. Israeli media also report that thousands of Israeli soldiers have been incapacitated; estimates range from 4,000 (confirmed) up to 30,000 (projected).
The primary objective of the Lebanese battlefront, as is the case with other complimentary fronts, has been to build up pressure against the Israeli-War Cabinet to agree to a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal on the terms of the Palestinian resistance, and dissolving the blockade against Gaza. The secondary objective of the Lebanese resistance, as is the case with other complimentary fronts, is the respective national interest (in Lebanon it manifests as consolidating the equation of deterrence and tipping its balance against “Israel” so that it concedes occupied Lebanese territories, namely Shebaa farms).
Both of these objectives are being steadily worked for in Lebanon. IOF losses in the north have been steadily accumulating:
Sabotaged Israeli surveillance and reconnaissance tech devices installed on the border (effectively blinding the IOF on the south-Lebanese border to a large extent).
Surmounting human casualties in the IOF which include injured, incapacitated, and killed.
Massive involuntary and voluntary relocation of Israeli settlers from the north to the center which the Resistance’s operations have resulted in.
Enforcing a de facto security belt inside “Israel” which is unprecedented in the history of the Lebanese-Israeli wars and the Arab-Israeli wars (as explained in the most recent speech of the Secretary-General of the resistance).
Spreading the Israeli army too thin.
The IOF spokesperson cited intense exhaustion as being a key factor behind the blunders of the IOF in Gaza and the underwhelming efficiency of the ground operation: Explaining that most soldiers have been on duty continuously without substitution because their compatriots are mobilized in the north.
Phase 3 in Gaza: de-escalation or redirecting escalation?
Due to the ongoing pressure against “Israel”, whether through the admirable steadfastness of the Palestinian resistance, the intensifying decisive operations by the Lebanese resistance, the blockade against Israeli navigation in the Arabian and Red Seas by the Yemeni Armed Forces and the Yemeni resistance, the increasingly frequent strikes against US occupation bases in Syria and Iraq by the Iraqi Resistance, and the international efforts to condemn “Israel” spearheaded by South Africa in the ICJ, the vehemence of the US-sponsored death machine in Gaza seems to be getting slowly quelled.
The US has announced that it will be pressuring the Israeli government to mitigate its genocidal war which has been detrimental to both parties’ international PR. The IOF has announced that it has started shifting to a lower-intensity Phase 3 (decreasing the bulk of troop presence in Gaza, relying more on airstrikes, and employing targeted raids).
Ever since the preliminary steps of Phase 3 started coming into effect under the plight of US pressure against the fascist Israeli War Cabinet, Netanyahu, along with his genocide boyband, seems to have started looking for different avenues to continue the war to perpetuate his ill-fated political career against a seemingly imminent soft-coup by the Biden administration.
“Israel” is pushing Hezbollah to its limits: Amal Saad
“Just as Israel revealed its plan to withdraw thousands of troops from northern Gaza for the next phase of its ongoing war, the senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri was killed in a targeted assassination in Beirut,” Amal Saad writes in a recent piece for The Guardian published on January 5th shortly after the assassination of Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut.
Amal Saad elucidates the significance and possible implications of this grave attack against Lebanon which seemed to try to nullify the deterrence enforced by the Lebanese resistance against the IOF since 2006.
“Hezbollah is in all likelihood concerned that a failure to respond decisively will invite Israel to go on an extrajudicial killing spree in Beirut – not just against Hamas but also eventually against its [Hezbollah] own officials,” she explains. “This would require a carefully measured retaliation that simultaneously signifies an escalation in terms of scope and intensity, but falls short of all-out war.”
The Lebanese resistance’s retaliation followed one day later. A combined Kornet-Grad artillery attack by the Resistance pummelled the Meron airforce base which served as an intelligence military command hub for the occupation. The operation, as Amal Saad had reasoned was a high-intensity retaliation falling short of an all-out war.
Furthermore, she explains that the objective of the Israeli attempt at undermining the deterrence equation seemingly serves as an attempt at provoking Hezbollah into an all-out war.
“An even greater concern is that Israel is seeking to provoke Hezbollah into a full-scale war that would involve the US as a co-belligerent.”
“…whether or not Israel, which is incapable of confronting Hezbollah on its own, is seeking to drag the US into a full-blown regional war.”
Commenting on this, Amal Saad later emphasized that “Hezbollah is keen to avoid an all-out war – but it is ready for one.”
This was later emphasized in the latest speech by the Secretary General of Hezbollah on January 14th.
“We have gone to war within the framework of this low-intensity warfare,” he said
“[However] since 99 days we have been ready for war, we do not fear it. We will not hesitate. we will venture on this war [if it’s forced upon us]. We will fight with no boundaries any limits or any restrictions,” Sayyed Nasrallah warned.
Hypothesizing
Netanyahu seems to have foresaw the imminent dead end in Gaza. Complete withdrawal will turn Gaza into “Israel’s” Cuba: stuck in a perpetual Missile Crisis. Persisting with the ground operation will turn it into “Israel’s” Vietnam: a swamp of attrition warfare that would surely end his career and possibly end his state: steadily inching away at it.
The only way “Israel” could achieve the objectives of its ground operation (i.e. uprooting the resistance) is if every last Palestinian in Gaza was killed or expelled from the strip.
Killing 2 million people in the 21st century is not beyond “Israel” but it would end the US’ morally credible soft power. It would strip the latter’s imperialist foreign policy of its leading pretext.
Netanyahu’s plan seems to be spreading out the conflict: so that they can advertise the war as asymmetrical against “Israel” to legitimize direct US intervention.
Netanyahu is desperately flailing to provoke large-scale retaliation from the Axis of Resistance to justify a US invasion of the region to rebalance power relations in favor of “Israel” and perpetuate Israeli security for a couple more decades.
Netanyahu acts in line with the outdated teachings of his neocon mentors of the early 2000s, but the pragmatics of the US oligarchy have since recognized the futility of savage militarism in West Asia and have since switched course for proxy warfare and color revolutions for being more efficient.
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UPROOTED PALESTINIANS: SALAM ALQUDS ALAYKUM 
