So spoke Nasrallah... again
An excerpt of his latest speech.
Yesterday, Friday 5th April 2024, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, delivered a new speech on the occasion of Al-Quds Day or Jerusalem Day - see my last post for more details on the meaning of this day:
Al Mayadeen reported parts of his speech in this article, but I will quote only what I think are the most important parts, relevant to the recent Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus (Syria), and then I will elaborate on these (all emphasis mine):
Sayyed Nasrallah addressed the Israeli aggression on the Iranian consulate in Syria, stressing that “the martyrs of the recent Israeli aggression on Damascus are of historical value for us.”
“The martyrdom of these dear ones is a great matter for us, especially Brigadier-General Zahedi for his great offerings to the Resistance in Lebanon over many years,” adding that “this incident is a turning point.”
“[Iranian leader] Imam Khomeini's decisive declaration of standing by the Palestinian cause was one of the main reasons for the wars that Iran has been subjected to,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, linking the attack on Iran's consulate to the latter support for the Palestinian cause.
[…]
Sayyed Nasrallah also noted that the issue of the Iranian consulate is a turning point in the events that have taken place since October 7, stressing: “Remain certain that the Iranian response to the [bombing] of the Iranian consulate is coming without a doubt.”
The Israelis "are on high alert, and they are petrified of the Iranian response," the Hezbollah leader said. "Part of the battle is a matter of attrition of the enemy materialistically and in terms of morale."
“The Israelis are on alert and afraid of the Iranian response, and this is part of the battle of attrition of the enemy morally and financially,” he added.
“Everyone must prepare themselves, arrange their affairs, and be cautious about how things could go, and be ready for any possibility,” stressing that “the blunder that Netanyahu committed at the consulate will open a door for providing relief for the Palestinian Resistance.”
The first part I emphasized in bold tell us that Nasrallah knows that Iran will respond to the Israeli bombing of the Iranian consulate. Maybe he was consulted on what to do next or maybe Hezbollah will be involved in the response. In any case, he does not say how and when, but it is worth noting that Israel was on very high alert yesterday, fearing a retribution from Iran on Al-Quds Day, especially following a warning from CIA, but nothing happened in Israel or in any other Israeli embassy/consulate around the world. Instead, I am pretty sure that Iran is planning a retaliation when Israel does not expect it. As I wrote in this article…
Iran, like Russia in Ukraine, is not in a rush and may retaliate in an asymmetric way and via one of its allies in the so-called Axis of Resistance (e.g. Hezbollah in Lebanon or the Houthis/Ansarullah in Yemen).
Actually, Nasrallah’s speech with reference to the Israeli bombing may be a serious indication that Iran could retaliate by telling Hezbollah to escalate its attacks against Israel or via other proxies (re-read the second part I emphasized in bold), e.g. the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces and its paramilitary group Kataib Hezbollah. After all, following a deadly drone attack to the US base Tower 22 on 28th January 2024 (see my post here), Iran reined in the militias that were frequently attacking US bases in Syria and Iraq until then, as reported by several news outlets, such as CNN on 30th January, Reuters on 18th February and the New York Times on 27th February. So, Iran could threaten the Outlaw US Empire, saying that, if it does not rein back Israel with its illegal bombing, then the Iranian proxies in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq will have no restraint either.
The reason why we may not see a direct conflict between Iran and Israel is explained quite well in this article on Sputnik International, comparing the military power of the two countries, in terms of troops, budget, weapons, combat experience and alliances. It is a short, yet interesting article, which I invite you to read.
I know that Sputnik International is not available everywhere, due to western censorship; so, if you have problems accessing the article, please let me know and I will repost it here.