Hassan Nasrallah
Hassan NasrallahReuters

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday attacked Israel’s incoming Defense Minister, Avigdor Liberman, referring to him as “crazy”.

Nasrallah made the comments in a speech marking 16 years since the IDF evacuated south Lebanon.

“In occupied Palestine, the crazy and coarse Liberman has been made war minister by Netanyahu the extremist. I don't want to interpret what that could mean,” Nasrallah said in the speech, excerpts of which were quoted by Yedioth Ahronoth.

“Today we remember that Israel is the real and main enemy. Israel covets everything good we have here, our land and our holy places. Israel is the biggest enemy which stalks us and Palestine. There are those today who want to make Israel a friend, or even an ally,” he continued.

“The only way to stop the aggression and remove the occupation is by complete resistance,” Nasrallah was quoted by Yedioth Ahronoth as saying. “Our nation has been doing this and succeeded both in 2000 and in 2006 using the military, the nation, and the resistance. This all creates a powerful force when the other Arab nations refuse to help us due to the international conspiracy.”

“Beware of those who take advantage of the confusion and lack of clarity in the current struggle,” he warned Palestinian Arabs. “These are the ones who want to turn Israel into a friend and ally…Do not rely on those who have abandoned you for the past 70 years…The resistance will succeed and Palestine will return to be the real struggle in the region. This day will soon come god willing.”

The comments came hours after Liberman and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu finalized their coalition agreement, which will see Liberman being appointed Defense Minister and the coalition expanding to 66 members.

Nasrallah’s reference to those “who want to turn Israel into a friend” could mean Saudi Arabia and its neighbors, which have reportedly reached out to Israel.

In fact, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Tuesday that if the Netanyahu government agrees to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority on the basis of the Arab peace initiative, Arab states would be willing to take steps to normalize their relations with Israel.

Nasrallah recently claimed in a speech that there is a connection between the recent blacklist of his organization as a terrorist group by Gulf states with the desire of royal Saudi family and other Gulf regimes to normalize relations with Israel.