Hizbullah Official Nawaf Moussawi: I Wish For A Ground War With Israel – Let’s See How They Fare Against Us; Our People, Who Almost Sank The USS New Jersey In 1983, Have Only Gained More Expertise

Hizbullah official Nawaf Moussawi expressed on a December 23, 2023 show on Al-Manar TV (Hizbullah-Lebanon) his desire for a ground battle with Israel. He said that he would like to see how they fare on the battleground in light of their bravado. Moussawi said that the Americans are providing Israel with support and expertise, but the U.S. should know that Hizbullah will not sit idly by if the U.S. wages war against it. He said that had the U.S. not withdrawn its USS New Jersey from the coast of Beirut in 1983, it would have been sunk by Hizbullah operatives, some of whom are still alive today.

Moussawi: "I have a desire for ground combat – that we will be fighting the Zionist enemy."

Interviewer: "You mean Hizbullah?"

Moussawi: "Yes. I have a desire for that, because I want to see how [Israel will fare against Hizbullah]. Israel is fighting the Palestinians, who are isolated from all directions, and can only rely on the mercy of Allah. Let's see how Israel fares against us. We have some weapons, and we can have whatever we want sent to us. All this [Israeli] bravado you hear... Come. Let's give it a go. You and us, on the battlefield.

[...]

"There are four [Israeli] divisions in Gaza, and here we have three more divisions, and 70% of the Israeli air force. These are the facts."

Interviewer: "Yes, the figures released by the Israelis."

Moussawi: "We are keeping over half the Israeli army busy, as well as American forces. In many of the attacks against us, it is not just the Israelis. The Americans participate in these attacks."

Interviewer: "Attacks where? In South Lebanon?"

Moussawi: "Everywhere. [They help] with logistics, technology, and whatever. The Americans provide all their expertise to the Israelis, in the confrontation with us and with the resistance in Palestine. Sometimes, [Americans] who fought in the heart of Falluja and Mosul come to show the Israeli officers what to do in each place."

[...]

Moussawi: "The Americans have informed the Israelis that the solution with Lebanon should be diplomatic. This is what Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told the Israelis. Why? Because the Americans know that the cost of their war... If they start a war with us, we will not sit idly by."

Interviewer: "What do you think the [Israeli] entity and the Americans expect to happen, if things deteriorate into a comprehensive confrontation?"

Moussawi: "In 1983, when the USS New Jersey was here... I have friends and colleagues so I know that if the USS New Jersey had not pulled back to deep sea and later withdrawn, it would have been sunk. The people who were involved in this back then are still alive, and some of them have acquired more expertise. We are not calling for war, but if someone threatens to wage war, he should deal with the consequences."