LEBANON - Expanding the War Against Israel
Hassan Nasrallah’s comments came as the cross-border conflict simmering between Hezbollah and Israel appears to be reaching a boiling point, and a day after a top U.S. envoy met Lebanese officials in his latest attempt to ease tensions.
Nasrallah said in 2021 that Hezbollah has 100,000 fighters but now he claimed the number is much higher, without elaborating. He also said he has rejected offers from allied countries and militias in the region that could add tens of thousands to his ranks.
A nearly 10-minute-long video allegedly filmed by a Hezbollah surveillance drone shows parts of Haifa—a city far from the Israel-Lebanon border. In his speech, Nasrallah said Hezbollah has much more footage—an apparent threat it could reach sites deep in Israel.
Hezbollah’s attacks escalated after Israel expanded its offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah in May, and spiked further in June after an Israeli strike killed high-ranking Hezbollah commander Taleb Sami Abdullah, the most senior militant killed so far during the Israel-Hamas war.
Nasrallah said a wider war with Lebanon would have regional implications and that Hezbollah would attack any other country in the region that assisted Israel in the war effort, citing Cyprus, which has hosted Israeli forces for training exercises. He suggested Cyprus might allow Israel to use its bases in event of a wider war.
In response, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said his island nation “is in no way involved” in any military operations in the region. Cyprus is “part of the solution, not part of the problem” he said, pointing out the Cyprus-Gaza maritime corridor used to deliver aid to the Palestinian territory.
-abcnew.go.com, 19 June 2024
Arno's Commentary
There are several reliable reports by knowledgeable sources that take this saber-rattling as a sign of desperation. Lebanon, as well as all other Arab countries, knows Israel’s capability. Israel has the experience to effectively deal with newly developed weapons of any kind.
Hezbollah means “Party of Allah” or “Party of God.” It is a Lebanese Shia Islamic political party, led since 1992 by their leader Hassan Nasrallah. Their aim and declaration? “More broadly, current leader Hassan Nasrallah has described Hezbollah’s ideology as having ‘two main axes: firstly, a belief in the rule by the just jurisconsult and adherence to Khomeini’s leadership; and secondly, the continued need to struggle against the Israeli enemy’” (en.wikipedia.org).
It is of interest that Israel is not occupying Lebanese territory, but the opposite is true: Large parts of Lebanon are Lebanese-occupied Israeli territory—that’s, of course, from a Biblical perspective.
Zechariah gives us a view of Israel as a priestly nation: “And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel” (Zechariah 3:1-3). This clearly shows Israel’s horrible apostasy against the God of Israel. The priesthood was polluted; the priest “was clothed with filthy garments.”
However, God reacts in accordance with His eternal resolutions. Never must we be confused by things that happen in political circles—in this case, Lebanon’s aggression against Israel. Always keep in mind that God’s eternal words are valid. The chapter concludes: “In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree” (verse 10). Regardless of present circumstances, the ultimate aim of the Lord is peace “under the vine and under the fig tree.”
Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.
