Nasrallah Urges Aoun and Hariri to Agree on Govt., Says Berri Ready to Help

Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday called on President Michel Aoun and PM-designate Saad Hariri to hold consecutive meetings in order to agree on the line-up of the new government.

“The key to solving everything in the country is the formation of a new government,” Nasrallah said in a televised address marking 21 years since Israel’s military withdrawal from Lebanon.

“There are slogans that the exit is the resignation of President Michel Aoun and I say that this is not an exit nor a correct suggestion and such remarks will lead nowhere,” Nasrallah added, stressing that Aoun will remain in his post.

He also noted that some are calling on Hariri to give up his mission. “But it is clear that Hariri is holding onto his designation and we hope that his mission will be facilitated,” Nasrallah added.

He accordingly called on Hariri to visit Aoun in Baabda and “meet with him night and day until a solution is reached,” because “they are responsible for the government’s formation” and are “entrusted with the country.”

“The other path is seeking the assistance of a friend, and the only friend who can help is Speaker Nabih Berri in light of his position, political status and personal experience,” Nasrallah added.

“We are ready to help Speaker Nabih Berri and we call on everyone to help him,” Hizbullah’s leader went on to say, warning against keeping the country in its current problems.

He also stressed that the governmental crisis is “domestic.”

Separately, Nasrallah warned Israel against attacking Lebanon.

“Do not miscalculate and do not bet on the difficult situations in Lebanon, because this will not matter when the equation is preserving Lebanon's security and dignity,” Nasrallah said.

“The Lebanese resistance is in its best situation and it has never been stronger,” he boasted about his group’s military capabilities.

He added: “I tell the Israelis not to commit any foolishness and not to make any wrong calculations regarding Lebanon... The rules of engagement still stand.”

As for the latest war between Israel and the Palestinian factions in Gaza, Nasrallah said “the 'Sword of Jerusalem' battle dealt a blow to the course of normalization and all those who have normalized the ties” with Israel, in reference to several Arab countries.

“After this battle, the 'Deal of the Century' fell and vanished,” Nasrallah added.

He also warned that any Israeli violations of Jerusalem and the sites holy to Muslims and Christians would lead to a regional war.

Speaking for the first time since the confrontation between Hamas and Israel, Nasrallah said Gaza's militant groups have proved that no one can sit idle when Israel attacks the holy sites or tries to undermine the Palestinians' right to the city.

Even from besieged Gaza and with limited capabilities and home-made rockets, Hamas and other groups responded to Israeli violations and attacks, Nasrallah said. He described it as a great victory that paralyzed the Israeli state.

The war was triggered by weeks of clashes in Jerusalem between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters in and around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a site revered by Jews and Muslims.

The site has seen several outbreaks of violence between Israelis and Palestinians over the years. The protests were directed at Israel's policing of the area during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers

"The Israelis must understand that breaching the holy city and al-Aqsa mosque and sanctuaries won't stop at Gaza resistance," Nasrallah said during his 100-minute speech.

Hizbullah's shadow loomed large during Israel and Hamas' 11-day battle in Gaza, with the possibility it could unleash its arsenal of missiles -- far more powerful than Hamas' -- in support of the Palestinians. But the Iran-backed group remained on the sidelines.

Daily protests, including by members of Hizbullah and Palestinians in Lebanon, took place along the frontier with Israel in solidarity with Gaza. One Hizbullah member was killed when Israel opened fire to push back against protesters who tried to break through the volatile frontier.

Nasrallah added: "Jerusalem means a regional war. All the resistance movements cannot stand by and watch this happening if the holy city is in real, grave danger."