‘We already entered the war on Oct. 8,’ Hezbollah leader says

Nasrallah’s first speech since Gaza War began contained no explicit proclamation of war

The secretary-general of the Lebanese terror organization Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, gave his long-awaited first speech since the start of the war between Israel and the Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

In a televised speech on Friday afternoon, Nasrallah blamed Israel for the war and mocked its army and leadership, while praising Hamas and the so-called “resistance axis,” without committing to any concrete actions against Israel.

In his first public address since the war began on Oct. 7, Nasrallah was widely expected to give an indication or possibly even an explicit proclamation of war against Israel, but failed to do so.

He, instead, claimed that Lebanon had joined the war on Oct. 8, the day after the murderous Hamas assault against Israeli border communities.

“Some say ‘Here, [Nasrallah] wants to announce the joining of the campaign. We already entered the campaign on October 8.”

He repeatedly mocked the Israeli state and its leadership, claiming that its declared goal of destroying Hamas would be impossible to reach.

The war “caused a security, military, psychological and moral earthquake in the Israeli occupation entity, and no matter what he does, he will not be able to change its results,” Nasrallah claimed.

He also repeated his metaphor of Israel as being as weak as a “spider web” that would prove easy to remove.

This, Nasrallah said, was also proven by the hasty U.S. support for Israel, which “revealed the failure, weakness and frailty of this entity.”

In keeping with his claim that Hezbollah was already taking part in the war, Nasrallah attempted to play up his organization’s contribution in weakening Israel’s war effort and asserted that “one-third of the Israeli army” was stationed on the Lebanese border.

“What is happening on our front is very important and influential because ... all the Israeli military positions from the sea to Shebaa farms are being subjected to daily and intensified attacks that target positions from tanks, drones, soldiers, and surveillance equipment,” he claimed.

In an unveiled threat, he added: “We will not be satisfied with the operations taking place today on the border with occupied Palestine.”

"The possibility that the Lebanese front will escalate into a wide war is a realistic possibility," he said.

Nasrallah also stressed that he wasn’t impressed by Israeli and American threats against Hezbollah, claiming to be well prepared to deal with their forces.

On the other hand, he repeatedly claimed that the Hamas assault was “100 percent Palestinian” and that the other members of the resistance axis, and even other terror organizations inside Gaza, were not informed of Hamas’ plans beforehand.

“The Al-Aqsa Flood Battle was decided and implemented 100% Palestinian, and its absolute secrecy was what ensured its resounding success.”

This may be a possible attempt to avert Israeli and American strikes against Lebanon or Iran, which recent media reports suggested were involved at least in training and preparing Hamas terrorists before the terror organization's Oct. 7 assault.

Nevertheless, Nasrallah thanked terror groups in Yemen and Iraq for “taking responsibility” and taking part in the resistance.

Finally, despite long passages praising the heroism of the Gazan civilians, Nasrallah promised them no concrete help.

“The people of Gaza are a legendary people, unparalleled in this world. They emerge from under the rubble and shout that everything they offer is a sacrifice for the resistance and Palestine, offering lessons in heroism.”

Concluding his speech, Nasrallah offered Gaza’s people weak consolation, without announcing any concrete steps.

“The battle today is a battle of steadfastness, patience, endurance, the accumulation of achievements, and preventing the enemy from achieving its goals.”