Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah slammed Israel this week in a statement on Sunday. “Nasrallah says that horrendous and unprecedented crimes committed by the Zionist regime in Gaza have awakened the conscience of people in the West,” the Iranian state media IRNA reported.
This comes at an important time for Iranian-backed groups. Iran has a new president and these groups will be under some scrutiny now for whether they escalate tensions. This is because these groups are linked to the IRGC in Iran. The Guards want to show that the new president won’t affect its policies. Reports already indicate Iran is moving forward with missile production facilities.
According to IRNA, Nasrallah “made the remarks on Sunday night in a speech delivered on the second night of Muharram, which marks the martyrdom of Imam Hossein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, in the battle of Karbala some 1,400 years ago.” This is an important event for Shi’ites in the region.
“Those who ignore the crimes in Gaza are blind,” the Hezbollah leader said. “Nasrallah said that Gaza has been witnessing unprecedented bloodshed, and turning a blind eye to Israeli massacres in the Palestinian territory is against humanity,” IRNA said.
Hezbollah's attacks against Israel
Hezbollah has been attacking Israel since October 8, carrying out around 6,000 attacks over nine months of war. Hezbollah chose to join and back the Hamas attack a day after Hamas launched its massacre. Hezbollah has now tied its war to Hamas.
That means that if Hamas will agree to a ceasefire then so will Hezbollah. Israel’s defense minister in a visit to Mount Hermon on July 7 said that regardless of whether Hezbollah stops its attacks, Israel may still continue to operate against Hezbollah. “The Hezbollah chief vowed that the resistance movement will continue to support Palestinians in the face of Israeli occupation and crimes,” IRNA reported.
Hezbollah has increasingly tied its fate to Hamas. It is operating to achieve a two-front war with Israel at the behest of Iran. Iran has sought to mobilize a number of “fronts” against Israel and bring the war against Israel within Israel’s borders.
Over nine months, Iran has accomplished this not only via the October 7 massacre but also Israel evacuating the North due to the Hezbollah attacks.
Hezbollah’s statement at an important time for Shi’ites shows how much he is tying Hezbollah’s hands in terms of the Gaza war and making it so every time Hamas escalates in the future, Lebanon will be dragged into war.