Nasrallah Says Doesn't Have Covid-19, Warns Israel against Any 'Mistake'
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday reassured supporters that he is not infected with Covid-19, noting during a live televised address that his ongoing cough is from a trachea infection and that he has no other symptoms.
He was speaking in an address marking Quds Day, an annual event held on the last Friday of Ramadan that was initiated by the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979 to express support for the Palestinians and oppose Zionism and Israel.
Referring to a major Israeli military drill that will begin on Sunday, Nasrallah warned Israel against any “mistake.”
“As of Sunday morning, we will do all the calm and appropriate steps that do not alarm anyone inside Lebanon in an invisible way, but the enemy must know that we will be cautious, alert and prepared,” he said.
“Any wrong move towards Lebanon during the drill will be an adventure by the enemy. The enemy will be mistaken should it think that we will be afraid to confront any attempt to alter the rules of engagement or any security or military action,” Nasrallah cautioned.
He added: “We will not be lenient and we will not tolerate any mistake, violation or hostile move by the enemy across the entire Lebanese territory,” Nasrallah vowed.
Turning to the issue of the Lebanese-Israeli negotiations over the demarcation of the maritime border, Nasrallah said some have sought to interpret Hizbullah’s silence over the issue as “embarrassment towards the allies.”
“This is not true… We, as a resistance, have not and will not interfere in the issue of the border demarcation,” he added.
“Let the State shoulder its historic responsibility as to the demarcation of the border and the preservation of the Lebanese people’s rights and let it consider that it is relying on real strength,” Nasrallah went on to say.
“We have found that it is in Lebanon’s interest and in the certain interest of the resistance that we stay away from this issue,” Hizbullah’s leader added, noting that “Lebanon is not weak at all” and that “the United States and Israel cannot impose choices that the Lebanese don’t want.”
Separately, Nasrallah said that the latest Iranian-Saudi dialogue is “positive” and that Hizbullah supports “any dialogue that contributes to pacifying the region.”
“Those who must worry over the Iranian-Saudi dialogue are the allies of Riyadh, not the allies of Iran,” he added.
Nasrallah also said that Iranian-Saudi and Iranian-American talks could benefit Tehran and its allies in the region.
Iraq has hosted talks between Riyadh and Tehran "more than once," its President Barham Saleh said on Wednesday.
The talks, facilitated by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi, remained secret until the Financial Times reported that a first meeting was held on April 9.
The two sides are expected to hold further talks this month, according to multiple sources including a Western official familiar with the process.
Late last month, Iran welcomed a "change of tone" from Saudi Arabia which it said could clear the way to a new era of cooperation between the rival regional powers.
The development came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called for "a good and special relationship" with Tehran, following the reported secret talks with Iran.
Nasrallah also said Friday that he cannot confirm nor deny reports of secret talks between Saudi Arabia and Syria. Riyadh has boycotted the government in Damascus since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011.
Such talks, however, would be "logical," Nasrallah said, as Syrian President Bashar Assad, a key ally of Tehran, has solidified his hold on power. Riyadh, along with other regional powers such as Turkey, had supported Syria's opposition since the start of the civil war in 2011.
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse, Associated Press
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