Nasrallah: ‘If we remain silent over the killing of al-Arouri, all of Lebanon will be exposed’

Hezbollah's secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, said in a speech on Friday that all of Lebanon would be exposed if the group did not react to the assassination of deputy Hamas chief Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut.

“The response will inevitably come,” he added. 

In his second speech since Israel killed Arouri in the Lebanese capital, Nasrallah also said that the latest escalation now marks a “historic opportunity” for Lebanon to liberate its land from Israeli occupation.

However, he said that no agreements can happen before a ceasefire in Gaza.

Nasrallah also praised the “resistance” from Yemen and Iraq.

Here are some of the key points from his speech.

• The Islamic resistance in Lebanon conducted 670 operations against Israel in the past three months, targeting border positions 494 times.
• At least 2,000 Israeli soldiers were wounded on the Lebanon-Israel border. Nasrallah also blasted Israel for not releasing clear numbers of casualties on its side.
• The Lebanese front is there to alleviate pressure on Hamas and Gaza, and to impose a ceasefire in Gaza.
• Israelis in the north should ask their government for a ceasefire if they wish to be safe.
• The response to the Arouri assassination will come from the battlefield.

Nasrallah ended his speech by telling families of fallen Hezbollah soldiers “we are proud of you” and said he would have visited them and “kissed your hands” if the security situation allowed him to.