In a June 24, 2024 article titled "What Has the Resistance Prepared for the Enemy Army, Its Settlements And Its Allies[?]," Ibrahim Al-Amin, editor-in-chief of the pro-Hizbullah Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, offered commentary on a June 19, 2024 speech by Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah. Al-Amin wrote that any "high-quality" military action by Israel against Lebanon will be perceived by Hizbullah as a declaration of total war. In such a war, he said, Hizbullah may invade the Galilee and attack military and civilian facilities in Israel. Al-Amin added that Hizbullah may also attack "the defense systems deployed along the Mediterranean and near its ports, whether those off the coasts of Lebanon and Palestine or the ones off [the coast of] southern Europe" – apparently hinting at Cyprus, which Nasrallah threatened in his speech.[1]
The photo that accompanied Al-Amin's article: Israeli targets documented in a recent Hizbullah video (Al-Akhbar, June 24, 2024)
The following are excerpts from Al-Amin's article:[2]
"'If war is forced on Lebanon, the resistance will fight without constrains, rules or limits'; 'We have a comprehensive and genuine bank of targets and we have the ability to reach those targets in a way that will rock the foundations of the entity [Israel]. It's not just a matter of quantity, and in any case they understand what I mean.' These expressions and this defiance were part of the latest speech by Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah. They are messages that the resistance wanted to convey to the world and to the enemy's public and leadership, as to what will happen in a total war...
"Eight months after the resistance launched a war of attrition against the occupation forces in order to support Gaza, the rules that underpin the confrontation are still in force. We should notice that the enemy is handling the Lebanese front with a great deal of caution, which may indicate that [its hands] are tied. But accuracy forces us to say that [the enemy] is sticking to the rules that have been imposed on it, and that, if it decides to deviate from them, it may enable the resistance to seek new rules…
SUPPORT OUR WORK
"The confident assessment is that the enemy's military and security leadership has convinced the political leadership that there is a large bank of targets in Lebanon and that a surprise blitz attack… will be able to destroy Hizbullah's effective capabilities and force it to choose between an agreement on new terms and [the option of] facing a cruel and broader war.
"Without preamble and without unnecessary, [let me say that] the resistance, at the same time, decided to call the attention of the enemy, on all levels – military, security, political and popular – and the attention of [the enemy's] allies to the fact that it is taking this possibility [of a blitz attack] into account, and that it has decided to adopt a strategy that is different from all the previous ones. Based on what we have seen from the resistance and based on Nasrallah's remarks, we can make things clearer for everyone concerned by saying as follows:
"First, the resistance regards every high-quality military action by the enemy as a declaration of total war. From now on, the lexicon of the resistance will not include [terms like] 'response to a [specific] attack' or 'days of fighting,' but [only] open-ended war.
"Second, the constraints and prohibitions that the leadership of the resistance has [until now] imposed on its units on the ground, which also benefitted the occupation army and the settlers, will instantly by lifted. As a result, the damage [caused by the resistance] will affect everything, both civilian and military facilities and other [targets].
"Third, [Hizbullah possesses] the necessary information on the enemy's strategic targets, the weapons suitable for attacking them and the readiness to attack. This is complemented by the desire [to act]. The relevant resistance units have been authorized to immediately initiate an attack on all those targets without waiting for any discussion, investigation or political action.
"Fourth, if the enemy launches a large-scale military escapade in Lebanon, it will transform the Lebanese front from a front that is supporting Gaza into a front of liberation and of punishing the occupation forces. This front has its own special tools, including a decision to invade the Galilee and take over military positions or liberate Lebanese or Palestinian villages.
"Fifth, the resistance in Lebanon, with all its experience, does not underestimate the enemy, which has capabilities and is a criminal [force] that has nobody to deter it from perpetrating massacres like the ones it perpetrated in Gaza. The resistance will therefore act on the assumption that it can inflict general harm in lives and in material damage, more harm than the enemy is doing to Lebanon.
"Sixth, and this is the most important point: The enemy, and especially the Americans, who are behind it, must take into consideration that a large-scale blitz operation by the Israeli air force, no matter how many targets it hits – assuming the enemy has precise information [about them] – will not damage all the assets [of the resistance]. Whatever remains will be enough to carry out devastating attacks on the occupying entity. Moreover, the resistance has closely followed the operation methods of [Israel's] comprehensive air defense array, which, [on April 13, 2024, also] called on the West and some of the Arabs to defend Israel against the Iranian attack. [The resistance therefore] knows that this alliance will not be able to provide the same defense umbrella against a rain of missiles and drones, nor will it be able to defend the defense systems deployed along the Mediterranean and near its ports, whether those off the coasts of Lebanon and Palestine or the ones off [the coast of] southern Europe.
"And if everyone has [already] formulated ideas about the capabilities of the party [i.e., of Hizbullah] in the sea and in the air, there is nothing to keep it from giving an enjoyable demonstration of its intentions in the sea, whenever necessary."
[1] For Nasrallah's statements, see MEMRI TV Clip No. 11191, " Hizbullah Leader Hassan Nasrallah Warns Cyprus Against Allowing Israel To Use Its Airports And Bases In War With Hizbullah; Adds: We Will Target All Of Israel's Beaches, Ports, And Ships In The Mediterranean Sea; They Should Expect Us In Land, Air, And Sea," June 19, 2024.
[2] Al-Akhbar, June 24, 2024.
