Hezbollah’s leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is set to deliver his third speech since Oct 7th.
The speech comes a day after a senior Hamas leader Saleh Al-Arouri was killed in a strike in Beirut, but had been previously scheduled to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Iranian Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guards who died following a US air strike in 2020.
Some context: Hezbollah is an Iran-backed Islamist movement with one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the Middle East. The group, which has its main base on the Israel-Lebanon border, could become a wildcard player in the Hamas-Israel war, and spark a wider regional conflict.
Prior to October 7, Nasrallah had not spoken publicly in person since 2006, when a month-long war erupted between Lebanon and Israel.
In his first public speech since 2006, Nasrallah called for a ceasefire and praised Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel, adding that they were fully planned and executed by Hamas. His speech came amid escalating skirmishes between his powerful, Iran-backed armed group and Israel, sparking concern of a potential broader regional war.
