In a much-hyped statement, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese Shia Islamist group Hezbollah, Friday said that his militant outfit is already engaged in the war between Israel and Hamas and threatened a further escalation of the Gaza Strip battle as Israeli Defence Force continues its coordinated air and ground operation.

Addressing his followers in a televised speech, Nasrallah said, “Some say I’m going to announce that we have entered the battle. I tell you. We already entered the battle on October 8. Some would like Hezbollah to engage in an all-out war, but I can tell you: What is happening now along the Israeli-Lebanese border is significant, and it is not the end.”

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In the speech, his first since the brutal October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, the Hezbollah chief warned Israel against a preemptive offensive saying, “I tell the Israelis, if you are considering carrying out a preemptive attack against Lebanon, it will be the most foolish mistake you make in your entire existence.”

Nasrallah also claimed that Hezbollah attacks on Israel in the north along the Israel-Lebanon border have  forced the Israeli military to divert its troops and weapons from Gaza to the Lebanese front.

“What we have done since October 8 is unprecedented in terms of our fighting strategy. Every day, we have been targeting Israeli soldiers, tanks, drones and sensors, the eyes and ears of Israel. We have been engaged in a true battle. The amount of our martyrs — 57 — testifies to this,” he said.

“Our operations on the border have forced the IDF to divert forces, weapons and equipment from Gaza and the West Bank to the Lebanese front. One-third of the IDF is now amassed on our border,” the Hezbollah chief claimed.

He further added that support to Hamas in their war against Israel is Hezbollah’s duty as the victory for Gaza will not just be a victory of Iran or the Muslim brotherhood but of Palestinians, Egypt, Jordon, Syria and also Lebanon.

“A victory for Gaza against Israel will not be a victory for Iran or the Muslim Brotherhood, it will be first and foremost a patriotic victory for Palestinians, but also for Egypt, Jordan, Syria and also Lebanon. It is therefore our duty to support Hamas in Gaza,” he said.