Hezbollah Official: “Israel” Not Prepared for New War Against Gaza Strip

By Staff, Agencies

A senior official with the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement has underscored the need for unity among Muslim countries to confront the “Israeli” entity’s hostile acts, saying the Tel Aviv regime is no longer prepared for a new war against the besieged Gaza Strip.

“Support for the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinian cause is not confined solely to the Palestinian nation, and all Muslims are duty-bound to do so,” Sheikh Hassan al-Baghdadi, a member of Hezbollah’s central council, said during a ceremony held in the southern Lebanese village of Ansar in commemoration of Lebanon’s prominent Shia leader Imam Musa al-Sadr, who went missing with two companions more than 40 years ago in Libya.

Al-Baghdadi strongly condemned the “Israeli” escalatory measures in the occupied al-Quds [Jerusalem], and repeated raids by the regime’s forces on the sacred site, where they fired stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinian worshipers observing the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

“The recent naked aggression of the coward Zionists against defenseless Palestinian worshipers, with such an extent of cruelty, provoked the feelings of Muslims and followers of other religions,” al-Baghdadi said.

The senior Hezbollah official also praised Palestinian resistance groups in the besieged Gaza Strip for firing barrages of rockets into the southern part of the "Israeli"-occupied territories in retaliation for violent raids on al-Aqsa Mosque.

“The ‘Israeli’ regime is not prepared to launch a new war against the Gaza Strip,” he said.

“Israeli” Occupation Forces [IOF] troops have wounded and rounded up hundreds of Palestinians during attacks that have seen a rise since the beginning of Ramadan. Illegal “Israeli” settlers have been freely violating the compound under the “Israeli” military and police force’s protection.

Since the start of the holy month of Ramadan, the “Israeli” regime has imposed strict restrictions on the entry and exit of Palestinians to and from the gates of al-Aqsa Mosque. “Israeli” settlers have also pressed ahead with their frequent incursions and provocative rituals at the holy site.

On Thursday, at least 30 rockets were reportedly launched from southern Lebanon into the “Israeli”-occupied territories in retaliation against the “Israeli” aggression against al-Aqsa. Resistance fighters based in Gaza also fired several rockets toward the occupied territories.