Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday announced a new equation resembling his famous “beyond, beyond Haifa” slogan during the 2006 war, threatening to “flip the table on the entire world” if Lebanon does not get allowed to benefit from its offshore oil and gas resources.
“For the first time in the history of the Zionist entity, the resistance launched three drones at the same time and towards the same target, and we have the ability to send armed drones of various sizes and with bigger numbers,” Nasrallah said in a televised speech, referring to Hezbollah’s sending of three unarmed drones towards the Israeli-operated Karish gas field ten days ago.
“The drones message and its magnitude say that we are serious and will be gradual in our choices. We will do what’s needed and this message has been delivered to the enemy. We have various capabilities on land, at sea and in the air and all of these are open choices. We will do anything that serves our cause with the right magnitude, at the right time and in the right way,” Nasrallah added.
Addressing both “enemies and friends,” Hezbollah’s chief said he is “not waging a psychological war.”
“We are serious and this path is the only path to rescue the state. If we continue in this manner, we are heading towards what’s worse than war,” he added.
Noting that there are sides that want to “destroy the country” and to “see people standing in queues and killing each other out of hunger,” Hezbollah’s leader said “threatening with war and going to war would be more honorable than what the enemy wants for us.”
“If we go to war, we might impose our conditions on the enemy,” Nasrallah said
“If you don’t allow (international) companies to extract oil (from Lebanon’s offshore fields), we will flip the table on the entire world,” he threatened.
“I tell the Zionist enemy and the Americans that the drones message is a modest beginning for what we might go to,” he warned.
“Write down the new equation: Karish, what’s beyond Karish and what’s beyond, beyond Karish, and we are following up on all fields, wells and platforms across Palestine,” Nasrallah added.
“If the objective is to prevent Lebanon from extracting oil and gas, no one will be able to extract gas and oil nor to sell gas and oil, no matter the consequences,” he went on to say.
Moreover, Hezbollah’s secretary general stressed that “the resistance is the only strength that Lebanon possesses to extract gas and oil.”
“Hundreds of billions of dollars can be secured from the offshore gas in order to rescue Lebanon,” he noted.
“There is a golden chance in these coming two months, in light of the U.S.-European need for gas,” Nasrallah said, warning that “Lebanon has the ability to obstruct the sale of gas to Europe.”
Addressing Lebanese officials, Nasrallah stated: “Do not allow the Americans to deceive you and pass time. You should obtain your rights before September, or else things will become more difficult.”
Referring to U.S. energy envoy Amos Hochstein, Nasrallah said “the so-called U.S. mediator is not a mediator but rather a party and he is working for the Israelis.”
“What brought Hochstein on his latest visit (to Lebanon) are two things — the urgent need to secure an alternative to the Russian gas and the resistance’s serious threats,” Nasrallah boasted.
“We said that we will not stand idly by, we are following up on the developments and we have the right to make any step at any time,” he stressed.
Nasrallah also refrained from directly commenting on the statement issued by caretaker PM Najib Mikati and caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib that criticized Hezbollah for sending the drones. Mikati and Bou Habib said at the time it was an unnecessarily risky action.
“Whether our message was understood in Lebanon or not, we don’t care about that. What is important for us is that the enemy gets the message,” he said.
The maritime border dispute between Lebanon and Israel returned to the fore last month after Israel moved a production vessel into Karish, parts of which are claimed by Lebanon.
The move pushed the Lebanese government to call for the resumption of U.S.-mediated negotiations that had hit a wall last year over demarcation disputes.
President Michel Aoun, caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab and senior Israeli sources have in recent days announced that progress has been made in the negotiations and that they expect positive results soon.
U.S. mediator Hochstein is meanwhile accompanying U.S. President Joe Biden on a visit to Israel that began a few hours prior to Nasrallah’s speech. The U.S. mediator is expected to hold talks with Israeli energy officials over the sea border dispute with Lebanon.
- 12 hours ago
Nasrallah: The new equation is “Karish, what’s beyond Karish and what’s beyond, beyond Karish” and we’re following up on all gas fields across Palestine.
- 12 hours ago
Nasrallah: If you don’t allow firms to extract gas, we’ll flip the table on the entire world and going to war would be more honorable if the other choice is for the Lebanese to starve.
- 12 hours ago
Nasrallah: It was the first time ever that three drones together target Israel.
- 12 hours ago
Nasrallah: We wanted the Israelis to shoot down the drones through warplanes and ships because we wanted to witness gunfire in that area.
- 12 hours ago
Nasrallah: There was positive progress but it was not sufficient and it did not meet the Lebanese state’s demands.
- 12 hours ago
Nasrallah: We said that we will not stand idly by, we are following up on the developments and we have the right to make any step at any time.
- 12 hours ago
Nasrallah: We do not interfere in the demarcation of the maritime border and this is what we mean by saying that “we are behind the state.”
- 12 hours ago
Nasrallah: We did not agree with anyone that we would not do any action.
- 12 hours ago
Nasrallah to Lebanese officials: You can curse us in your meetings with the Americans, but do not disavow us.
- 12 hours ago
Nasrallah to Lebanese officials: The resistance tells you to benefit from it.
- 12 hours ago
Nasrallah: What brought Hochstein on his latest visit are two things — the urgent need to secure an alternative to the Russian gas and the resistance’s serious threats.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: The so-called U.S. mediator is not a mediator but rather a party and he is working for the Israelis.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah to Lebanese officials: Do not allow the Americans to deceive you and pass time. You should obtain your rights before September, or else things will become more difficult.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: Israel has hurried up in Karish because of that.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: Lebanon has the ability to obstruct of sale of gas to Europe.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: There is a golden chance in these coming two months, in light of the U.S.-European need for gas.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: Hundreds of billions of dollars can be secured from the offshore gas in order to rescue Lebanon.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah on Hezbollah’s military capabilities: This is the only strength that Lebanon possesses to extract gas and oil.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: Today the popular environment in the South is different than it was in 1982 and the resistance’s capabilities are also different.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: Gantz’s remarks about Beirut, Sidon and Tyre were silly remarks and all Lebanese laughed at them.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: Gantz can ask the generals and forces who tried to advance into Bint Jbeil in 2006.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah to Gantz: You do not dare to march a few steps into the besieged Gaza.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: Gantz knows that he was deceiving himself and his people by saying that Israel would again “march to Beirut, Tyre and Sidon.”
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: Since 2006, Lebanon has enjoyed an excellent security situation as to the conflict with the enemy.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: One of the July War’s results was finding an equation of deterrence between Lebanon and the Zionist enemy.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: Biden can exert an effort to end the war on Yemen.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: The U.S. administration has the ability to end the war in Yemen, which is a U.S. war in the first place.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: Biden truly wants a truce in Yemen but he must be asked to end the war in Yemen and not only to maintain a ceasefire.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: The U.S. president has nothing at all to offer to the Palestinian people.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: The U.S. president has nothing to say to the Palestinian people.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: The U.S. is trying to secure alternative gas and oil sources for Europe.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: Today the U.S. is fighting a major war against Russia through the Ukrainians.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: The U.S. president has come to the region to convince the Gulf countries to produce more oil and gas.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: America today is different than America in 2003 and 2006 and the elderly U.S. president reflects the image of the current America.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: The resilience of the resistance and Lebanon in the July War dealt a very harsh blow to the new Middle East scheme.
- 13 hours ago
Nasrallah: One of the resistance’s achievements in the July War was defeating America’s “new Middle East scheme.”