Nasrallah
NasrallahReuters

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah delivered an address at a memorial ceremony for his deputy, Shuad Fukr, also known as Sayyed Mohsen, on Tuesday evening.

Shortly before Nasrallah began his remarks, Israeli military aircraft flew low over Beirut, creating what locals called one of the biggest sonic booms they have ever heard.

Referencing this action, Nasrallah began by stating, "The enemy is breaking the sound barrier over the southern suburbs to frighten those gathered for the ceremony. It has such a small mind."

"Al-Sayyed Mohsen was a leader in all the resistance's major battles," said Nasrallah. "He was one of the architects of the 2000 victory (the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon) and that of July 2006 (the Second Lebanon War). He was in charge of the main operations room."

"He had a strategic mind, rich in ideas, and a great capacity for planning." Nasrallah said, adding that Shukr "drew up the general war plans as well as the necessary amendments."

He acknoledged that "our loss is very great with the martyrdom of Sayyed Mohsen, but it doesn't shake us at all and doesn't make us hesitate or stop."

The Hezbollah leader claimed that "Israel seeks to annex the West Bank and claims there is no Palestinian state," adding that "Netanyahu and the U.S.-Zionist alliance is victorious over the resistance in Gaza and the West Bank, the entity that kills children will solidify itself in the region."

"We face the danger that the occupying entity will dominate the region," he warned. "The region is facing real dangers. Everyone must understand that if Israel wins, there will be no Palestine and the al-Aqsa Mosque will be seriously threatened. Lebanon and its riches will also be at risk, as will Jordan, whose Hashemite kingdom could disappear. Syria will be threatened, both in the Golan Heights and inside the country, and Israel will work to make the Syrian leader a friend. Egypt and all the countries in the region will also be threatened."

He boasted, "Israel, fearing the Iranian response or that of Hezbollah, appeals to the United States and Western countries, which proves that its deterrence has diminished, as well as its capability of defending itself."

"The aim of this battle is to prevent Israel from achieving victory and to avoid the elimination of the Palestinian resistance and the failure of the Palestinian cause," Narallah said.

"Hezbollah will respond, Iran will respond, Yemen will respond, and the enemy waits, watches and evaluates each reaction. The main thing is that the determination, the decision and the capability are there," he said, adding, "We are in a battle that has an end. We call on the resistance in Gaza and the West Bank to show more patience and firmness. We call on the support fronts in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen to continue supporting Gaza despite the sacrifices. We call on Arab countries to wake up to the danger threatening the region."

"The Israeli danger cannot be faced by playing ostrich and running away from the storm, because the enemy fights without red lines. What is needed is confrontation and confrontation, not hesitation and submission," the Hezbollah leader stated.

Nasrallah also stated that the wait for the attack is "part of the punishment" Iran and Hezbollah are seeking to inflict on Israel and acknowledged that this tactic is "psychological."

"Our response will come, God willing, alone or as part of a collective response from the whole front. "Our response will come, God willing, and it will be strong," Nasrallah concluded.