Alerts

Nasrallah Presents Hizbullah’s Perception of Confrontation with Israel

Nasrallah: “Hizbullah is even stronger than the Israeli army”
Share this
Hassan Nasrallah’s televised speech to a Beirut crowd
Hizbullah’s Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah’s televised speech to a Beirut crowd on August 14, 2018, broadcast from an unknown location. (Arab Press)

Table of Contents

In an address marking the 12th anniversary of the Second Lebanon War on August 14, 2018, Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary General of Hizbullah, described how he perceived the confrontation with Israel. Hizbullah’s “victory” in the Second Lebanon War, Nasrallah claimed, achieved complete deterrence against Israel. Prior to 2006, Israel attacked Lebanon freely and at will, even when there was no cause for attack. Israeli aerial attacks targeted southern Lebanon, the Beqaa Valley, northern Lebanon, and the capital, Beirut. This is no longer the status quo, declared Nasrallah, due to the new reality Hizbullah set for Israel.

In light of Hizbullah’s military buildup, of which Israel is well-aware, Nasrallah stressed that Israel’s threat assessment takes into account the damage to its own gas, electric, and oil facilities.

For the first time, Nasrallah noted, Israel’s military training is based on defending itself against Lebanon and not merely on offensive attacks into Lebanese territory. According to Nasrallah, Israel has never been on the defensive in a war with Lebanon before. Israel’s military training efforts are now invested every year in southern Lebanon and northern Israel in defense tactics designed to prevent the occupation of the Galilee.

Nasrallah noted Israel’s failed attempts to topple the Syrian regime. He claimed that Israeli assessments that the Syrian army would collapse, followed by the Assad regime, have been disproven.

To the same extent, Nasrallah stated that “the Israeli efforts to obtain recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights have failed.” In light of the international reality, Nasrallah declared that this aspiration stands no chance. The United States may have given Israel a promise in this regard, but the international community will reject it, Nasrallah concluded.

Hizbullah and Iran Will Stay in Syria

According to Nasrallah, the Israeli demand to remove Hizbullah and Iran from Syria is futile and will fail. Nasrallah ridiculed the dissemination of news and analyses in the media that claim Hizbullah is about to withdraw from Syria and that Nasrallah himself is about to announce the withdrawal of Hizbullah forces from Syria.

“What reality do you live in?” Nasrallah asked. “Who feeds you such misinformation and ridicules you?…Israel, defeated by Syria, cannot lay down conditions…. To whom are you dictating conditions? To the victorious leadership of Syria? To Iran? To Hizbullah?”

Nasrallah also stated that Israel failed in its confrontation with the Palestinians. He declared that all attempts to starve Gaza and force its surrender have failed, and now Israel is begging for an agreement with Gaza.

Nasrallah stressed that Lebanon rejects all attempts by Israel to resolve the demarcation of the maritime and land border with Lebanon in order to gain oil and gas fields.

Nasrallah boasted that Hizbullah’s strength exceeds Israel’s military might and that Israel no longer has the freedom to act in Lebanon. Instead, it is currently preparing its army for the next confrontation against Hizbullah’s threat to capture the Galilee.

Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Dr. Shimon Shapira

Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Dr. Shimon Shapira served as Military Secretary to the Prime Minister and as chief of staff to the Foreign Minister. He edited the Jerusalem Center eBook Iran: From Regional Challenge to Global Threat. He is the author of Hizballah: Between Iran and Lebanon, Moshe Dayan Center, Tel Aviv University, 2021.
Share this

Invest in JCFA

Subscribe to Daily Alert

The Daily Alert – Israel news digest appears every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

Related Items

Stay Informed, Always

Get the latest news, insights, and updates directly in your inbox—be the first to know!

Subscribe to Jerusalem Issue Briefs
The Daily Alert – Israel news digest appears every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

Notifications

The Jerusalem Center
The Gaza Flotilla Is a Fraud

Far from a humanitarian mission, the latest 70-vessel spectacle on its way to Gaza from Italy is a costly act of political theater @FiammaNirenste1 @JNS_org

11:28am
The Jerusalem Center
The Assassination of Abu Obeida – Why Is Hamas Remaining Silent?

Senior Israeli security officials note that such silence is not new; Hamas often delays its statements following targeted Israeli assassinations, raising questions whether this stems from attempts to verify the information or from a deliberate strategy of ambiguity https://x.com/jerusalemcenter

11:25am
The Jerusalem Center
The Impact of Radical Legal Ideology: From the Classroom to the International Forum

Massive funding of Critical Legal Studies-style academic and extracurricular programs promotes anti-Western ideas and undermines international community institutions and legal conventions https://x.com/jerusalemcenter

11:23am
The Jerusalem Center
Western Countries Focus on Iran Technicalities, Ignore Ideological Bent

The West must look beyond nuclear “offsides” and confront the core issue: a regime in decline, anchored to a dying leader, ruling over a weary population hungry for change x.com/jerusalemcenter

11:19am
The Jerusalem Center
Israel, Gaza, and the Race Against Time

The Trump proposal to create a 10-year trusteeship levels the playing field and provides an opportunity for the Egyptians to open its border with Gaza @Dan_Diker

11:15am
The Jerusalem Center
Canada investigating Israeli-Canadian IDF soldiers?
JCFA senior researcher, Amb. Alan Baker slams the probe as a “political PR stunt with no legal basis.” “This isn’t justice—it’s a betrayal. Canada is siding with PLO propaganda over facts.”
11:29am
The Jerusalem Center
What makes a child believe killing a #Jew is justified?

In PA textbooks, Jews are called liars and frauds; their fate: elimination. This is #indoctrination—not #education. But change is happening. On East to West, @IMPACT_SE CEO Marcus Sheff exposes how #UNRWA-funded schools are fueling extremism—and what real reform looks like.  Listen now on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2JHqh973U  Watch on YouTube: youtu.be/8OkJTGNfVUc

11:43am
The Jerusalem Center
Highlights from the @Jerusalem_Post Annual Conference in NYC:

Dr. @Dan_Diker, President of the JCFA: “October 7 wasn’t just an attack on Israel — it was a blow to the U.S. on Israeli soil. It demands moral clarity and a united front between Israel and the U.S. to defeat jihadist terror.”

2:20pm
The Jerusalem Center
@XAVIAERD says it like it is

Well, @XAVIAERD says it like it is: If you’re part of “#Queers for #Palestine,” he’ll pay for your flight to #Gaza. Go see for yourself how they treat LGBTQ+ people over there. Don’t miss this bold take on the Israel-Hamas war and the woke right.

2:32pm
The Jerusalem Center
“This isn’t Israel vs. Hamas — it’s the frontline of the free world.”

“This isn’t Israel vs. Hamas — it’s the frontline of the free world.” On Our Middle East by @JNS_org, @Dan_Diker@KhaledAbuToameh (JCFA/@GatestoneInst) break it down: If Hamas isn’t crushed, Iran wins. The jihadis—from #Gaza to your campus—get the green light. Diker: “This war is for the West.” No fluff. No filters. Just raw insight from two insiders who actually know what’s going on.  Watch: youtu.be/4Aq_zcbb4Yo

2:15pm
The Jerusalem Center
5/5 Lt. Col. Kalo on East to West with @smartinezamir:

“This operation showcases Israel’s strategic intelligence superiority both regionally and globally. It demonstrates the moral commitment to recovered soldiers and also strengthens Israel’s position with allies.” youtube.com/watch?v=nIvNNi

2:07pm
The Jerusalem Center
4/5 The operation built on intelligence gathered during the 2019 #Baumel recovery

#Mossad agents operated under cover in #Syria for years, visiting a graveyard multiple times under fire to collect remains for DNA matching. The intelligence community’s evolution combines technology, big data analysis, and human intelligence capabilities.

2:02pm

Close