OAN’s Stephanie Stahl
1:11 PM – Friday, November 3, 2023
Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted growing pressure from the United States for a “humanitarian pause” in the Israel-Hamas war, emphasizing that a temporary cease-fire would only be considered after the release of approximately 240 hostages.
Concerns have grown over increasing Palestinian casualties and suffering after weeks of Israeli airstrikes and a broader ground assault. A worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza has garnered global attention, as hospitals have shut down and supplies are reportedly running out.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed American support for Israel’s actions against Hamas while echoing President Joe Biden’s call for a brief halt in the fighting to address the humanitarian situation.
According to a statement from the U.N. on Friday, about 1.5 million people in Gaza, or 70 percent of the population, have been displaced.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah— a terrorist organization that has strong political influence and controls the most powerful armed force in Lebanon— has praised Hamas for its violent actions.
In previous years, Hezbollah’s armed wing has carried out deadly attacks on Israeli and U.S. forces in Lebanon. In 2000, Israel pulled out of Lebanon and Hezbollah took credit for their withdrawal.
On Friday, the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, declared that the terrorist group intends to continue launching attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria.
Nasrallah made this statement during a televised speech while discussing the ongoing Israeli-Hamas conflict. He asserted that the U.S. should be held accountable and face consequences for Israel’s actions in Gaza.
“Resistance movements have attacked and will continue to attack American forces in Iraq and Syria,” the leader of the terrorist group vowed.
Nasrallah also suggested that Israel relies on American and Western support, while questioning the reasons behind the presence of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and President Biden’s visit to Israel following the October 7th attack.
“Israel has revealed itself to be a weak state, as fragile as a spider web, and it needs American and Western support. Otherwise, why would the U.S. Navy send an aircraft carrier shortly after the Oct. 7th attack? Why else would Biden visit Israel, alongside numerous American government secretaries, the military top brass and European leaders?”
In his speech, Nasrallah commended Hamas for its violent attacks and referred to Israel as “the occupiers.”
He claimed that the October 7th terrorist attacks were solely the work of Palestinians and made a similar assertion about Iran, claiming that these attacks were carried out without the knowledge of the Iranian government.
In the lengthy remarks, Nasrallah mentioned that he and other Hezbollah leaders may take additional measures based on Israel’s response in Gaza.
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