Iran-backed Hezbollah’s big warning to Israel: “Expect surprises from us”

Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel to be ready for “surprises.”

With the conflict in Gaza still ongoing in its eighth month, the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah is reportedly preparing for a surprise attack on Israel. The group’s secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, warned Israel to be prepared for surprises in a televised speech.

“You should expect surprises from our resistance,” he said on Friday, which marks the 24th anniversary of Resistance and Liberation Day.

Hezbollah, which emerged as a strong force during the civil war in Lebanon, was committed to the fight against Israel in a show of support for the Palestinian cause and Gaza.

Israel has been conducting a military offensive in Gaza since the October 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas left more than a thousand people dead in Israeli border towns.

But Israel’s leaders themselves admitted that they did not achieve any of their goals in the Gaza war, Nasrallah said. He was referring to the admission by the head of Israel’s National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi, that they have not achieved any of the strategic objectives and it could take years.

Nasrallah also listed the setbacks of Israel, which is supported by the West.

“The recognition of the Palestinian state by several European countries is a great loss for the occupation,” he said, citing the Middle East Monitor.

This recognition, he said, was one of the results of the “battle of the floods of Al-Aqsa”, Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.

“One of the results of the flooding of Al-Aqsa and the steadfastness of the resistance is that today Israel is present before the ICC (International Criminal Court),” he said.

Nasrallah accused Israel of not respecting international resolutions and of launching violent attacks against Rafah, despite an order from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to immediately halt its military offensive.

Hanegbi, a top adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said after the ICJ ruling that his country has the right to defend itself.