Those who want Hezbollah to do more against Israel were disappointed by the speech, said the Middle East Institute’s Firas Maksad.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah disappointed many Palestinians and their more militant supporters on Friday as he gave his much anticipated first public remarks since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
The unexpected assault by Hamas, a militant Palestinian group that controls Gaza and is backed by Iran, left more than 1,400 dead, according to the Associated Press. Israel subsequently declared “war” on the group and launched a heavy bombardment of Gaza, while simultaneously cutting off fuel, food and electricity to the densely populated area. As of Friday, more than 9,000 Palestinians have been killed, the AP reported.
In the weeks since the initial Hamas attack, Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group backed by Iran, has exchanged near-daily artillery fire with Israel, resulting in casualties on both sides. Throughout the escalating tensions, Nasrallah remained conspicuously absent from the public eye, with lower-level officials addressing the press and rallies of supporters.
When it was announced on Sunday that Nasrallah would finally address the public, many expected the Hezbollah leader would announce additional actions or a major escalation.
Instead, Nasrallah touted Hezbollah’s current involvement in the conflict, saying his group had joined the war on October 8.
