Sadek Al-Naboulsi, a Lebanese cleric who is affiliated with Hezbollah, said on a show that aired on Lebanon’s Al-Jadeed TV on July 6 that the very existence of Israel is an act of war against Lebanon.
He said that war with Israel can be the "best way" to change the equation and bring Lebanon out of its political crisis. Al-Naboulsi also said that Hezbollah and the “resistance” should not be ashamed to say that it wants to "change the balance of powers in Lebanon and in the region."
The comments were translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
"The existence of Israel is an act of war against us. It is not Hezbollah that is instigating war. You spoke earlier about the firing of rockets, and so on. The very existence of Israel is an aggression against Lebanon," Al-Naboulsi said in the interview.
"A war with Israel can deliver us from our crisis. Some people may ask how a war with Israel may bring us out of this crisis," he claimed, before detailing, "If despite the dialogue and the varies understandings and initiatives, we are unable to reach a formula for electing a president, war could turn out to be the best way to change the equation."
"War is essentially a political act that seeks to change the balance of power…We want to change the current destructive and stagnant balance of power [inside Lebanon]," said Al-Naboulsi.
The comments follow recent provocations from Hezbollah against Israel. Last week, Hezbollah terrorists demonstrated at the Israel-Lebanon border, when several of them attempted to damage the fence.
IDF soldiers used non-lethal means to force the terrorists away from the fence.
In addition, Hezbollah terrorists caused a fire on the Lebanese side of the border across from the Israeli town of Metula. The fire caused several mines to explode on the Lebanese side of the border.
Before that, Hezbollah terrorists illegally erected tents on sovereign Israeli territory. The tents were placed about 30 meters inside Israeli territory, and generators were placed there to allow Hezbollah terrorists to stay in the compound.
At the start of July, Hezbollah evacuated one of the two tents it had set up.