Hezbollah chief says ‘ready to face US warships’ after its deployment in Israel as White House issues warning
Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah says its not afraid of US warships and "all options" were open for an expansion of Israel, Gaza conflict
Lebanon’s militant group Hezbollah says its not afraid of US warships and “all options” were open for an expansion of Israel, Gaza conflict.
The White House on Friday said Hezbollah should not try to take advantage of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, hours after Lebanon’s militant group chief Hassan Nasrallah said that his Iran-backed group was not afraid of US warships and “all options” were open for an expansion of the conflict into Lebanon.
Supporters of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group shout slogans, as they wait the speech of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, during a rally in Beirut, Lebanon, on November 3.
Responding to Nasrallah’s threat, a spokesperson for the White House’s National Security Council said the United States does not want to see the conflict expand into Lebanon.
In his first speech since war broke out last month between Hamas militants and Israel, the head of the powerful Lebanese Shia movement blamed the United States for the Gaza war and that Washington could prevent a regional conflict by halting attacks on the Palestinian territory.
“America is entirely responsible for the ongoing war on Gaza and its people, and Israel is simply a tool of execution,” Nasrallah said in a televised broadcast, calling the conflict “decisive”.
“Whoever wants to prevent a regional war — and this is addressed to the Americans — must quickly stop the aggression on Gaza,” he said.
The United States “impedes a ceasefire and the end of the aggression”, he added.
During the highly anticipated speech, broadcast as part of an event in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, Nasrallah warned Israel against attacking Lebanon, saying that “all options are open on our Lebanese front”.
“Your fleet in the Mediterranean do not scare us… we are ready to face the fleet you threaten us with,” Nasrallah said, also addressing the United States.
‘Russia has crossed all red lines in Gaza war’ – Russian Israel expert
How much Ruto and other top government officials pocket per day on expensive foreign trips
Woman stabbed to death after quarrel over tap water queue
Babu Owino opens up struggling with drug use; hard liquor, cocaine
Former DCI BOSS Kinoti makes first public appearance after acrimonious exit
Since Hamas militants launched an unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, Lebanon’s southern border has seen escalating tit-for-tat exchanges, mainly between Israel and Hezbollah, an ally of the Palestinian group, stoking fears of a broader conflagration.
The cross-border skirmishes have killed 72 people on the Lebanese side, among them at least 54 Hezbollah fighters but also other combatants and civilians, one a Reuters journalist, according to an AFP tally.
On the Israeli side, at least six soldiers and one civilian have been killed, the army said.
Nasrallah said his group had “entered the battle on October 8” and warned that the chance of open conflict was “realistic”.
“We say to the enemy that might think of attacking Lebanon or carrying out a pre-emptive operation, that this would be the greatest foolishness of its existence,” he said.
Also read,
Ruto appoints Safaricom CEO Ndegwa, Lukoye Atwoli in new appointments
Court drops 116 million corruption case against former NHIF Boss
Foreigner arrested with grade 3 military bullets at JKIA
Government issues update on release of HELB loans
KCPE candidate chops off classmate’s finger over biscuit
Follow us
