“All Options Are Open”.. Nasrallah: We Entered the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle Early and Engaged a Third of the Occupation Army

The Secretary-General of the Lebanese Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, announced that his forces entered the Al-Aqsa Flood battle launched by the Islamic Palestinian resistance movement “Hamas” on the second day of the battle on October 8, 2023, stating that the party managed to draw about a third of the Israeli army to the front with Lebanon.

Nasrallah emphasized that the options are “open,” indicating his forces’ movements with the resistance in southern Lebanon and the operations they are conducting against the occupation, stressing the need to work for the victory of Gaza.

Nasrallah’s statements came in an extensive speech on Friday, November 3rd, addressing the contexts of the Al-Aqsa Flood battle, considering it to have become “extended on more than one front and more than one arena.”

Based on the contexts of the Al-Aqsa Flood battle, Nasrallah explained that four main issues were the main reasons behind the battle. These issues include thousands of Palestinian prisoners in the occupation’s prisons, violations against the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the ongoing siege of Gaza, and the Israeli settlers’ attacks in the West Bank.

He pointed out that the Palestinian issue and all its related files were “neglected and of little interest to the world,” adding: “A strong event was necessary to shake the world and bring back the issue of occupied Palestine and its besieged people and threatened sanctities as a top issue.”

He added: “What happened in Gaza was necessary to reintroduce the Palestinian issue as the foremost issue in the world.”

A Purely Palestinian Battle

In another context, Hassan Nasrallah stressed that the Al-Aqsa Flood operation was “100% Palestinian” in its decision and execution, considering that “absolute secrecy” ensured the success of the October 7th operation through the element of surprise. He also noted that this secrecy did not bother other resistance factions.

He said that Hamas’s performance “affirmed and confirmed the absolute Palestinian identity of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation,” adding, “Everyone must understand that the real decision-makers are the leaders of the resistance and the issue’s stakeholders.”

Regarding Iran and its regional role, Nasrallah emphasized that the decision is with the resistance movements, “and Iran adopts, supports, and backs (…). Iran does not exercise any guardianship over the resistance movements in the region.”

On another note, Nasrallah praised “the Iraqi and Yemeni capabilities that participated in this battle,” adding: “If we were looking for a legitimate, full-scale battle, there is no battle like fighting the Zionists.”

He said that defending the people of Gaza is a “humanitarian imperative,” considering that what is happening in Gaza is not a war like previous wars but a decisive historical battle.

Nasrallah considered that the first goal to work for day and night is to stop the war and aggression on Gaza, and the second goal is for the resistance in Gaza, especially Hamas, to achieve victory in Gaza.

American Threats to Escalate the Conflict

Regarding Israeli and American threats received by Hezbollah to avoid expanding the conflict, Nasrallah said, “The enemy threatens Lebanon and the Lebanese people while it is drowning in the sands of Gaza.” He pointed out that what is happening on the Lebanese front is unprecedented in the history of the Israeli entity.

He explained that Hezbollah’s operations on the borders “target the enemy’s equipment, soldiers, and machinery,” and that what is happening on the Israeli borders is not the only focus. He added, “What is happening on our Lebanese front has not happened even during the July (2006) war.”

He noted that nearly 57 martyrs, including the Al-Kataeb Brigades, in addition to the martyrs of Al-Qassam and Al-Quds Brigades, were the result of the operations that forced the enemy to keep its forces on the borders and mobilize more of them. He added, “The Lebanese front has forced tens of thousands of residents of the border settlements to evacuate, and 43 settlements in northern occupied Palestine were evacuated because of our operations.”

Nasrallah stated that from the first day of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, “we were told that the American fleets would strike us,” emphasizing that the Lebanese front is in solidarity with Gaza and is evolving and moving in response to developments.

He concluded his speech by stating that everyone must be prepared for all possibilities and options, and that American and Israeli threats “will not intimidate them,” addressing Washington, saying, “I say to the Americans that whoever wants to prevent a regional war must hurry to stop the aggression on Gaza.”