An ultra-orthodox Jewish man places a religious poster on a building in Kiryat Shmone, Israel, damaged by a rocket fired by Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.GORAN TOMASEVIC/The Globe and Mail
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, in his first public remarks since war broke out between Israel and Hamas, gave no indication that the forces under his control in Lebanon will seek to escalate their involvement in the conflict and urged Arab countries to halt shipments of oil and food to Israel.
Mr. Nasrallah, the leader of the most powerful Islamic militant group in the Middle East, pleaded for peace in Gaza even as he warned a wider war in the region remains a “very likely possibility,” and that “all scenarios are open on our Lebanese southern front.” But he distanced Hezbollah and Iran – the principal backer of both Hezbollah and Hamas – from the Oct. 7 massacre, saying repeatedly that it was “100-per-cent Palestinian,” its planning kept secret from Tehran and other militant groups allied with Hamas.
The engagement of heavily armed Hezbollah in the Israel-Hamas war has been a key concern for world leaders, with the U.S. dispatching warships to the region in a show of force to dissuade the Lebanese group from getting more involved in the fighting. It is also of particular concern to Canada, which has already flown hundreds of soldiers to the Mediterranean to prepare for an evacuation from Lebanon if war breaks out.
Mr. Nasrallah did not rule out an escalation of hostilities between his forces and Israel, saying Hezbollah’s decisions will be based upon developments in Gaza, where Israel is in the midst of a large-scale ground operation to root out Hamas, and in retaliation against Israeli attacks.
“If you think about assaulting Lebanon or taking a pre-emptive strike against Lebanon, it will be the biggest act of foolishness in the history of your existence,” he said. As he spoke, sirens sounded in southern parts of Israel, indicating a continuation of rocket attacks from Gaza. But the country’s north remained largely quiet, a day after Hezbollah rockets struck Israeli soil.
Mr. Nasrallah boasted that the threat posed by Hezbollah had already succeeded in distracting Israeli forces from the fighting in Gaza, citing figures that suggest large portions of Israel’s ground troops, naval forces and air power have been stationed in the north.
“Those who claim that Hezbollah should engage swiftly in an all-out war with the enemy might see what is taking place on the border as minimal,” he said. “But if we look at what is taking place on our border objectively, we will find it sizable. Yet I assure you this will not be the end. This will not be sufficient.”
Mr. Nasrallah’s speech, delivered by video to crowds in Iran, Egypt and Lebanon, also struck a plaintive note, urging peace for Gaza – even as he praised Hamas for its Oct. 7 attacks and condemned Israel’s response.
“Entire neighbourhoods are wiped out. School buildings, places of worship – and the whole world is standing by watching,” he said.
“The first goal we should work for, day and night, is to end the war on Gaza,” he said, citing the need to stop the fighting on “humanitarian, ethical, religious and legal grounds.” Only negotiations will bring about the release of the hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, he said, before urging other countries to stand up for Palestinians through any means short of war.
“Arab and Muslim states must spare no effort to at least put an end to the war,” he said. “Sever relations. Recall ambassadors.” Condemnation, he said, is not enough. “We are calling on the Arab and Muslim states to cut off oil and gas and food supplies to Israel.”
The speech was closely watched across Israel, but nowhere more closely than in the country’s north, where some homes lie within shouting distance of Lebanon. Here, the word of Mr. Nasrallah is respected more than that of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by some residents.
If Mr. Nasrallah “says something, he will do it,” said pecan farmer Jacob Yeremak. He can see Lebanese territory from his orchard, where only one worker remains. The rest have left. His shoulder bears a scar from a rocket that landed nearby during the 2006 war with Lebanon. In the past two weeks, Israeli soldiers have gathered nearby, piling dirt into berms to make a shooting range for sighting in guns.
Closer to the border, roads are bisected by checkpoints, and soldiers lie in wait beside tanks. The buzz of a drone is audible over the quiet of empty communities.
“In the north, we are prepared and we will continue to respond to any attack, today and in days to come,” said Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman.
“Iran is encouraging proxies against Israel. We will retaliate on any front vis-à-vis any threat. There is high alert, also in the north.”
Israel has evacuated most people living within a few kilometres of Lebanon.
Among the few remaining is Eitan Davidi, one of only two people still in Margaliot, a moshav, or agricultural co-operative, metres from the border. Mr. Davidi, who is also the mayor, is among Israel’s largest egg farmers. His wife, family and neighbours have moved south. He and his brother stayed behind to take care of the flocks, which lay hundreds of thousands of eggs a day.
Two weeks ago, a Hezbollah attack completely ruined one of his barns, with 170,000 chickens. Earlier in the war, Israeli soldiers killed militants trying to sneak into the country not far from his home. His barns lie in a valley below a ridge, where last week he spied a force of militants that he estimated at 150 strong.
He is worried enough about his own safety that he keeps away from open spaces and enters his home through the back door.
“Everyone tells me to get out of here. But I can’t. I have animals,” he said Friday.
Nonetheless, even as Mr. Nasrallah voiced little appetite for war, Mr. Davidi welcomed the idea of an escalated conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
“War is something that should happen. We can’t live this way,” he said of the constant fear of attack.
An escalation of hostilities “will be tough for people living here. For a month or two, they will have to suffer. But it must be done,” he said. “This clown Nasrallah needs to understand his place.”
Others, however, said the past few weeks have shown that Hezbollah has no desire to enter a full-scale war with Israel.
“Hassan Nasrallah is mostly doing psychological war – and only talking and talking with no action,” said Charlie Aweda, an employee at a shawarma shop in Kiryat Shemona. He was at work Thursday night when a Hezbollah rocket landed metres from his shop, causing an intense fire carried live on Israeli television.
Video he filmed of the impact showed children walking toward shelter when the rocket hit. Air-raid sirens provided only five seconds’ notice of the attack, which destroyed cars and sent at least one person to hospital.
“They are just a terror organization,” Mr. Aweda said.
The children, however, were unharmed.