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On July 25, 2022, Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah was interviewed on Mayadeen TV (Lebanon). He said that Lebanon will not give up on its right to extract natural gas and oil from its offshore reserves, and he rejected the idea that Lebanon keep the Qana offshore prospect in exchange for Israel keeping the Karish oil field (for more about the maritime border dispute between Israel and Lebanon, see MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 1640). He also said that Hizbullah's precision missiles can reach any Israeli target on land or at sea and that Hizbullah has the offensive and defensive naval capabilities to effectively deter Israel. In addition, Nasrallah said that Israel is a "temporary entity" and that in a matter of a few years, Israelis will be grabbing their suitcases and fleeing the country.
Hassan Nasrallah: "Like I said in my last speech, this is not just about the Karish [gas field] in exchange for the Qana [prospect]. We are talking about all the oil and gas fields that were plundered by Israel and are in the Palestinian waters... This is the accurate way to describe them. All the gas and oil fields along the occupied Palestinian shores in exchange for Lebanon's rights to demarcate its [maritime] borders and to extract oil and gas. There cannot be one without the other. It is no longer just Karish in exchange for Qana.
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"All those [gas] fields are within the range of our threats.
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"No Israeli target on land or at sea is beyond the range of the resistance's precision missiles.
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"If the state of Lebanon officially informs me that they agree to accept fuel from Iran as a gift, Hizbullah is ready to employ its contacts and friends in Iran in order to bring the necessary amount of fuel, and deliver it as a gift to the Lebanese state. But it needs to accept it first.
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"We have certain naval capacities. I don't want to exaggerate. We have certain naval capabilities that are sufficient to achieve the necessary deterrence."
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Interviewer: "These are all defensive capabilities?"
Nasrallah: "No. What are you talking about? These are offensive capabilities. They are both defensive and offensive. When you talk about deterrence and accomplishing goals, defense is offense. It is not just defense."
Interviewer: "So you have a deterring naval force..."
Nasrallah: "It's a capability."
Interviewer: "You have naval capabilities to defend and attack, in the most distant point in occupied Palestine..."
Nasrallah: "This is not a traditional naval force. We are a resistance group. None of our capabilities takes a traditional form. Nobody should imagine that..."
Interviewer: "I'm not talking about ships. Of course."
Nasrallah: "Let me describe it for you. Are we able to deter and fend off the enemy, and to attack targets in the sea of occupied Palestine..."
Interviewer: "In all of it?"
Nasrallah: "Yes. Anywhere in that sea. We have that capability."
Interviewer: "Anywhere in that sea?"
Nasrallah: "Yes.
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"I believe that this entity has no future. I call it a temporary entity.
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"I believe that [its end] is very near. The Israeli leaders and analysts are debating whether their country will reach the age of 80 or not. It's a matter of a few years. They are the ones saying this, not us.
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"The other day, I read an opinion poll by an American research center. Over 51% believe that in a few years, the U.S. will witness a civil war. Without America, there is no Israel. The image I see before my eyes is of people grabbing their suitcases, and heading to the airports, sea ports, and the Jordanian and Egyptian borders. This is the image I envision. This entity has no future. If you talk about the 40 years that have passed [since Hizbullah was founded], and say that this will happen in the next 40 years, I am saying to you: No. We do not need another 40 springs in order to witness that outcome. I am not talking about the occult, prophecies, or dreams. No."
Interviewer: "This isn't astrology..."
Nasrallah: "One plus one equals two. This is the data from inside [Israel], from the region, and from the world."
Interviewer: "The people in Jordan and Egypt will not allow them to even take their luggage. They oppose normalization..."
Nasrallah: "So they will leave from the airport and by sea."
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