Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, appearing thin and frail and coughing consistently throughout a televised speech marking the 21-year anniversary of the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, warned Israel that any violations of Jerusalem and sites holy to Muslims would lead to a regional war.
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Speaking for the first time since the ceasefire ending the 11-day war between Hamas and Israel, Nasrallah said Gaza's terrorist groups had won a great victory that paralyzed the Jewish state.
"When holy sites face serious threats there are no red lines," Nasrallah said, speaking slower and in quieter tones than usual, and struggling to catch his breath at times. "All the resistance movements can't sit back and watch if holy sites are in danger."
#Iran-backed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah delivered a speech today, looking ill, thin and frail, clearly having difficulty breathing and delivering his remarks, and coughing several times.
Interesting.pic.twitter.com/0VglwTCp5p
— Heshmat Alavi (@HeshmatAlavi) May 25, 2021
"The Israelis must understand that breaching the holy city and al-Aqsa mosque and sanctuaries won't stop at Gaza resistance," Nasrallah said during his 100-minute speech.
Hezbollah's shadow loomed during Israel and Hamas' 11-day battle, with the possibility it could unleash its arsenal of missiles – far more powerful than Hamas' – in support of the Palestinians. But the Iran-backed group remained on the sidelines, deterred by what Israel has vowed would be a devastating response against Lebanon.
Nasrallah added: "Jerusalem means a regional war. All the resistance movements cannot stand by and watch this happening if the holy city is in real, grave danger."
Addressing Lebanon's dire economic situation, the terrorist leader, whose group holds considerable influence in the country, added that the only way out of the prolonged financial crisis was the formation of a viable cabinet.
Prime minister-designate Saad al-Hariri has been at loggerheads for months with President Michel Aoun, an ally of Hezbollah, over cabinet positions.
"The only realistic thing for the Lebanese today is that the prime minister-designate, in cooperation with the president, forms a government," Nasrallah said.
Lebanon's economic meltdown has pushed much of the population into poverty and poses the biggest threat to stability since the 1975-1990 civil war.
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