Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 05:25am on 04 Nov 2023,Saturday International
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah did not declare all-out war on Israel in his highly anticipated speech, knowing neither Lebanon nor Hezbollah currently seeks another war. But he left the door open for escalation based on Israel's Gaza actions, saying "this will not be sufficient." Nasrallah claimed Hamas acted on October 7 without Hezbollah or Iran's help. He justified Hezbollah's significant but measured border fighting role so far. For now, Hezbollah appears focused on supporting Hamas from the sidelines unless it nears defeat. But that calculus could swiftly change if Israel routs Hamas in Gaza, spurring a Hezbollah-Israel war. Nasrallah threads the line between not provoking war-wary Lebanon into one, but threatening a northern front if Hamas is vanquished.
