BEIRUT (Dispatches) – Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned the occupying regime of Israel on Tuesday against reaching for offshore gas reserves.
“The hand that reaches for any of this wealth will be severed,” Nasrallah, head of the political and military movement, told Lebanon in southern Beirut.
“Lebanon’s oil, gas and water resources must remain under its control and no one should be allowed to rob the country,” he said in his televised speech marking the mourning ritual of Ashura.
The dispute escalated in early June after the Zionist regime moved a production vessel near the Karish offshore field, which is claimed by Lebanon.
In July, Hezbollah released a video it said showed surveillance of several Israeli-chartered ships, including the production vessel sent to Karish.
Nasrallah’s comments on Tuesday came as Lebanon awaits a response from the occupying regime of Israel to an offer on the border dispute it submitted to U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein last month.
Nasrallah said that “we are waiting for a response to the demands of the Lebanese state, and we will
respond accordingly, but I tell you ... we must be ready and prepared for all possibilities.
“We will go all the way, so no one should try us.”
Lebanon and the Zionist regime, which fought their last war in 2006, had resumed maritime border negotiations in 2020 but the process had been stalled until the latest developments revived negotiations in June.
Hochstein told a Lebanon broadcaster this month that he is working towards a solution that would allow the occupying regime of Israel to continue operations in Karish while also allowing Lebanon to enter the energy market.
A Zionist official last month said Israel’s offer would allow Lebanon to develop the so-called Sidon reservoir, also known as the Qana field, which is located in the disputed zone.
Nasrallah called Hezbollah the frontrunner of the battle against Israel, warning the occupying regime of of tough and crippling retaliatory strikes in case it dares launch an act of aggression against Lebanese territories.
“Hezbollah is at the forefront of battle against the Zionist enemy,” Nasrallah said. “The resistance movement is stronger than ever; Israelis should not make the folly of testing the Lebanese nation’s resolve to protect its own natural resources.”
He also called for the swift formation of a competent Lebanese government, urging all political factions to join forces in order to overcome existing crises and resolve the sufferings of the nation.
“We look forward to powerful Lebanon, which is capable to defend its own sovereignty and wealth,” he said.
The Hezbollah leader also lashed out at Bahrain’s Al Khalifah regime over tightening crackdown on Shia Muslims during Ashura commemorations.
“Among the most disgraceful regimes that have normalized ties with Israel is the oppressive Al Khalifa regime, which receives Zionists with open arms while at the same time attacking ceremonies marking Ashura,” Nasrallah stated.
The Hezbollah leader then voiced Lebanon’s support for the impoverished Yemenis, reiterating that it is Muslims’ duty to lend assistance to the oppressed nation.
He also said Syria has emerged triumphant over the foreign-sponsored militancy but is still grappling with unilateral Western sanctions that have exacerbated economic and humanitarian crises in the country in recent years.
Nasrallah further lauded Palestinians and resistance fighters in the besieged Gaza Strip for their spirited resilience and steadfastness, emphasizing that they have managed to impose their equations on the Israeli regime.
Nasrallah also pointed to the political turmoil in Iraq, calling on all political figures in the Arab country to settle their disagreements in a bid to foil potential foreign conspiracies.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran, under Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, will remain the heart of the Axis of Resistance,” the Hezbollah secretary general said.