Nasrallah says Hezbollah to act in light of outcome of Hochstein's talks

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said that his party will decide how to act in light of the outcome of U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein’s talks with Lebanon’s leaders on Monday.

“This treasure is in the sea and we have this historic opportunity. We have put ourselves in a position involving at least a 50% war possibility and a 50% avoidance of war, and today we have become in a better position,” Nasrallah said in a Ashura sermon, on the eve of Hochstein’s talks with Lebanese leaders.

“All we want in this file is to help our country and give the state elements of strength in the negotiations. In the morning the U.S. mediator will have meetings with the three presidents and now I reiterate that we are not a party to the negotiations. We have not tasked anyone with that and it is not our responsibility,” Nasrallah added.

“In light of the outcome, we will decide how to act in the coming period, and we don’t want any gratitude from the people. We only care about oil, gas and the country’s salvation,” Hezbollah’s leader went on to say.

Nasrallah had warned Israel that Hezbollah is ready to risk a war to prevent it from extracting gas and oil from its offshore fields if Lebanon does not get its oil and gas rights.

Hezbollah renewed its threats Sunday in a video released only hours prior to Hochstein’s arrival in Lebanon. The footage shows the gas barges in the Karish field, their coordinates, a surface-to-sea missile and two warnings.

The first warning says that the barges are “in the crosshairs” of Hezbollah and the second warns Israel against “wasting time.”