The world is bracing itself as a convergence of factors is quickly coming together that could precipitate not only regional war in the Middle East but quite possibly a global conflict.
This afternoon, in a long-awaited speech regarded by observers across the world as an indication of whether the Israel-Hamas war will escalate into a broader regional conflict, Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah delivered his first comments since the onset of the war.
Nasrallah did not rule out the potential for a broader conflict that might involve Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed, Lebanese Shia Islamist group, and other Iranian-backed militias in the region, with his overall message seeming to suggest that Hezbollah’s current actions, which have seen the group engage in substantial cross-border skirmishes with Israel, would continue and possibly widen in scope.
“Those who claim Hezbollah should engage swiftly in an all-out war with [Israel] might see what’s taking place on the border as minimal. But if we look at what’s taking place on our border objectively, we will find it sizable. Though, I assure you, this will not be the end, this will not be sufficient.”
Nasrallah praised Hamas’ surprise attack against Israel four weeks ago which saw 1,400 people, mostly civilians, murdered, calling it a “glorious, blessed, large-scale operation” planned and carried out by Hamas alone, claiming the attack had no relation to any regional issue. Furthermore, he lauded Hamas’ decision to strike as “wise, brave, prudent, and worthy of all these sacrifices.”
He sharply criticized Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and said the U.S. is completely responsible for the war in Gaza for hindering ceasefire efforts. The Hezbollah leader also leveled threats against Israel, saying it would be making the biggest mistake if it carries out preemptive strikes on Lebanon.
Meanwhile, in a brief televised statement on Friday, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected any prospect of a ‘pause’ in fighting with Hamas unless the group releases hostages taken during the October 7 attacks on Israel. And on Thursday, November 2nd, Israel announced that its forces have surrounded Gaza’s main city in preparation for a full-scale offensive.
Iran, following Hamas’ October 7th attack urged Muslim countries to unite against Israel, leveled threats against Israel and the U.S. during a visit to Turkey on Thursday.
Iran’s foreign minister’s meeting with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara, where both parties called for a regional conference aimed at averting a spread of the Israel-Hamas war, came one day after the Iranian foreign minister met both Qatar’s foreign minister and Hamas’ leadership in Doha, and as Turkey’s President Erdoğan has ramped up his pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel rhetoric over the past several days.
During the press conference that preceded the meeting between ministers, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said:
According to the meetings we held yesterday in Doha with the leaders of Qatar and the political leaders of Hamas and the information we received from the resistance groups, the region is close to taking a very big and decisive decision if genocide and war crimes are not stopped.
If the war is not stopped as soon as possible, controlling the conditions of the region and leaving it out of the hands of all sides, the responsibility will be directly on the USA and Israel and those who support war crimes.
Days before the Iranian foreign minister visited Doha and Ankara, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while demanding an end to Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, urged all Muslim nations to halt all trade with Israel.
Meanwhile, Tunisia has upped its anti-Israel rhetoric as well. The parliament, after planning to debate a bill that would make the “recognition of the Zionist entity or the establishment of direct or indirect ties” with it a crime that would be classed as “high treason,” on Thursday, November 3rd, announced that it would postpone the vote until Friday, November 4th. Follow The European Conservative‘s reporting on the vote.
