Lebanon Nasrallah emphasizes Hezbollah's readiness to fight

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has once again emphasized his militia's readiness to fight in the face of growing tensions with Israel. "If they impose a war on Lebanon, the resistance will fight back without restrictions, rules or borders," said the secretary general of the Shia organization in a public speech. "Israel must reckon with us on land, in the water and in the air," he said. Nasrallah was not seeking a large-scale war with Israel, he emphasized. He said that "the Lebanese front" was strongly represented at the negotiating table.

The Hezbollah leader also warned Cyprus against cooperating with the Israeli military. Should the Cypriot government make its airports and military bases available to the Israeli military, the island state would "become part of the war", said Nasrallah. Israeli media had reported in the past that special units of the Israeli army had traveled to Cyprus to train for the fight against Hezbollah.

The situation between Lebanon and Israel has recently deteriorated considerably. There are concerns that the conflict between the Israeli military and the Hezbollah militia could escalate. On Tuesday, Israel's military approved plans for an offensive in Lebanon, fueling fears of an escalation. Senior commanders had approved "operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon" during an assessment of the situation, the military announced. The readiness of the troops will be further increased.