‘We stand before a major battle’: Hassan Nasrallah signals escalation in regional tension

Hezbollah leader reaffirms support for Hamas, emphasising a shared commitment to ‘inevitable victory’
Beirut
In his first public address following the assassination of senior commander Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah underscored the group’s alliance with Hamas, emphasising a shared commitment to “resistance and martyrdom” in pursuit of an “inevitable victory.”
“We stand before a major battle; this issue has escalated beyond us being just a support front,” he said.
Nasrallah extended his condolences and “congratulations” to Hamas and its military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, on the martyrdom of chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran, Iran early Wednesday.
“Resistance leaders, like its fighters, are martyred, and we are partners with Hamas in resistance and martyrdom,” Nasrallah stated.
He confirmed that Fuad Shukr was among those killed in an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in Beirut’s Haret Hreik neighborhood. The attack claimed seven lives in total.
“Among the martyrs in the Haret Hreik building attack are leader Foad Shukr and an Iranian martyr, in addition to dozens of wounded,” Nasrallah said. “We are pained but patient, facing any tragedy with beautiful patience and acceptance of God’s will,” he added.
Nasrallah denied Hezbollah’s involvement in the attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams, which resulted in the deaths of 12 young people.
“We have numerous indications that many Israeli interceptor missiles fell on Acre and other areas,” Nasrallah remarked. “We have the courage to admit if we are at fault.”
Nasrallah suggested that the bombing in Majdal Shams was intended to create discord between Druze and Shia communities in the Golan Heights.
He continued, “It was promoted that there was an Israeli response to what happened in Majdal Shams, and we were informed that we should absorb the strike.”
Referring to the broader regional tensions, Nasrallah mentioned, “On all support fronts, we have entered a new phase,” identifying groups like the Houthis and other Iran-backed factions as “support fronts.”