Lebanon and the Lebanese reserve their right to stand up against Israelis and their aggression, Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has noted in a televised speech Tuesday.
He proceeded saying there are "absolutely no red lines" when it comes to Lebanon's defence, that of "its sovereignty, its security and its dignity" against Israeli attacks.
Hezbollah's leader detailed at length that his Iran-backed movement had shot down an Israeli drone inside Lebanon for the first time to strengthen the countery's deterrence against attacks by long-time foe Israel.
"Despite all the threats and intimidation, today we are affirming the balance of power and reinforcing the deterrent force that protects our country," Nasrallah pointed out.
This does not imply that UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which halted the month-long 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, would not be respected, but that Lebanon and its people had the right to defend itself, Nasrallah stated.
The comments came a day after the Lebanese movement called out a drone attack they said was conducted by Israel, with the unmanned aerial vehicle shot down near the settlement of Ramiyah in southern Lebanon.
Earlier this week, Nasrallah chief also brought up the absence of whatever “red lines” vis-a-vis Israel, as one of the anti-tank missiles fired by the paramilitary organisation against the Jewish state apparently crossed the country’s border instead of hitting a territory disputed by Beirut and Tel Aviv.
Tensions between Lebanon and Israel spiralled upwards in August, when Lebanese authorities for the first time blasted Israel for sending drones in violation of the country’s airspace. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been a longstanding opponent of Iran’s alleged support for Hezbollah, which he deems as a “terrorist organisation”.
