Hezbollah Chief Calls on Muslims to Stand up for Palestinians

Those watching with frustration the genocide in Gaza and continued atrocities in the West Bank have been wondering if Hezbollah would push back against Israel enough to stop the genocide. To date, Hezbollah has only targeted Zionist forces along the border with Lebanon. While this has had some impact, it has not deterred Israel from slaughtering more than 30,000 Palestinians and destroying most of Gaza.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is an Lebanese cleric and the Secretary-General of Hezbollah. He is both the spiritual and religious leader of Lebanese Shia Muslims. He does not have any official government position but has considerable power in Lebanon and commands Hezbollah's militia, which is more powerful than the official Lebanese military. While he does not speak for all Lebanese, he speaks for most and when he makes a public speech, many pay attention, including a significant percentage of the world's 1.8 billion Muslims. 

The gist of his speech today was to frame the genocide as an issue that must be addressed by all and to promote the continued resistance until Israel is soundly defeated. He did not call for Israel to be destroyed. He did not state that Israel has no right to exist. He did not say that Jews are animals. 

He addressed the reluctance of some Lebanese to support the resistance and called on them to understand that if Israel is allowed to succeed in the genocide of Palestinians it will mean only an increase in oppression and that Israel may turn its sights on Lebanon. It is true that Zionists envision a much larger Greater Israel that encompasses most of its neighbors. 

Nasrallah's speech comes after a visit by Iran's Foreign Minister, who has been lobbying other nations to support the resistance. Iran knows that the resistance to Zionism needs Hezbollah to continue to apply pressure on Israel but also engage in an all-out war if and when required.

Like most of humanity, Muslims and the residents of the Middle East want the genocide to end but also don't want to ignite a greater war that would likely kill millions and spread into a world war that could kill vastly more. If it were just a matter of defeating Israel, that would be simple enough, but Israel has the full military and financial support of most every NATO member.

So far, the Palestinians have only the military support of Yemen and Hezbollah and they have limited support from Iran. A broader war against Zionists would likely bring in Iran, Syria, militias in Iraq, and possibly some support from Qatar. The criminal regimes of Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and UAE are still supporting the genocide but could be threatened by their own people if they increase support for the Zionists. Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait are trying to remain neutral. 

One of the interesting things that Nasrallah mentioned is the fact that mobile phones are being used by Israel to spy on Lebanese and that they should be switched off and put in a metal box. "They are in our villages and our homes ... they don't need spies," he said. He also asked people to also unplug any webcams. 

The resistance is slowly building support and cohesion while continuing to press for a ceasefire. Nasrallah has NOT called for an expansion of Hezbollah's actions at the present time but has said that "all scenarios are possible", including ending all Hezbollah actions when there is a ceasefire in Gaza.