Nasrallah warns Cyprus against opening bases to Israel if war erupts

W460

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday threatened the nearby island of Cyprus if it opened its airports and bases to Israel in the event of total war with Hezbollah.

"Opening Cypriot airports and bases to the Israeli enemy to target Lebanon would mean that the Cypriot government is part of the war, and the resistance will deal with it as part of the war," Nasrallah warned in a televised address commemorating slain Hezbollah commander Taleb Abdallah.

Cyprus has good relations with both Israel and Lebanon, and lies close to the coast of both countries.

Nasrallah also warned that "no place" in Israel would be spared from the group’s weapons in case of a full-blown war, after Israel said operational plans for a Lebanon offensive had been approved.

"The enemy knows well that we have prepared ourselves for the worst... and that no place... will be spared our rockets," Nasrallah said. Israel must "wait for us on land, by sea and by air," he added, warning that Hezbollah will fight “without restrictions.”

“The enemy knows that what also awaits it in the Mediterranean Sea is very huge, seeing as all its coasts and ships will be targeted,” Nasrallah went on to say.

“Threatening us with war on Lebanon does not scare us, we have prepared ourselves for the most difficult of days and the enemy knows well what awaits it,” Nasrallah said.

Noting that Israel’s strikes in Syria have failed to prevent Hezbollah from bringing weapons from Iran, Nasrallah added: “We have a large number of new weapons and drones and we're manufacturing some types of rockets in Lebanon.”

“The resistance's manpower is unprecedented,” he said.

Commenting on the footage published Tuesday by Hezbollah which the group said was taken by drones that overflew northern Israel and its strategic Haifa region, Nasrallah said: “We have long hours of footage of Haifa, what's around it, what's before it, what's beyond it and what's even further.”

And noting that “the Lebanese front has performed a very big role and is inflicting moral, material and psychological losses on the enemy,” Nasrallah said his group’s invasion of Israel’s Galilee region “remains an option should war erupt.”

Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, and Israel have been trading near-daily fire since the Gaza war was triggered by the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack on southern Israel.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz warned Hezbollah on Tuesday that it would be destroyed in the event of a "total war" between the two.

The clashes have killed at least 478 people in Lebanon, most of them fighters but also including 93 civilians, according to an AFP tally.

Israeli authorities say at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed in Israel's north.

Timeline
  • 19 June 2024, 18:55

    Nasrallah: The enemy knows that what also awaits it in the Mediterranean Sea is very huge, seeing as all its coasts and ships will be targeted.

  • 19 June 2024, 18:41

    Nasrallah: We warn the Cypriot government that if it opens its airports and bases to Israel for targeting Lebanon, it will become part of the war.

  • 19 June 2024, 18:38

    Nasrallah: The enemy must await us on land, at sea and in the air and we will fight without restrictions or rules.

  • 19 June 2024, 18:35

    Nasrallah: Threatening us with war on Lebanon does not scare us, we have prepared ourselves for the most difficult of days and the enemy knows well what awaits it.

  • 19 June 2024, 18:26

    Nasrallah: We have a large number of new weapons and drones and we're manufacturing some types of rockets in Lebanon.

  • 19 June 2024, 18:25

    Nasrallah: The resistance's manpower is unprecedented.

  • 19 June 2024, 18:24

    Nasrallah: We have long hours of footage of Haifa, what's around it, what's before it, what's beyond it and what's even further.

  • 19 June 2024, 18:19

    Nasrallah: We are not seeking to engage in an all-out war with Israel and the Lebanese front is strongly present on the negotiations table.

  • 19 June 2024, 17:59

    Nasrallah: The invasion of the Galilee remains an option should war erupt.

  • 19 June 2024, 17:58

    Nasrallah: Netanyahu does not want to turn the northern front into a pressing front and is concealing the losses that we are inflicting on him.

  • 19 June 2024, 17:54

    Nasrallah: Hezbollah's response to the latest assassinations was very huge.

  • 19 June 2024, 17:53

    Nasrallah: The Lebanese front has performed a very big role and is inflicting moral, material and psychological losses on the enemy.

  • 19 June 2024, 17:51

    Nasrallah said Hezbollah's footage of its drones' overflights of northern Israel is part of the "psychological" warfare against Israel.

Comments 10
Missing HellAndWaite 19 June 2024, 19:58

Will Berri say that Lebanon thinks Hamas should say "Yes" to the ceasefire proposal immediately? Why not?

Will Bou Habib say that Lebanon has and will maintain good relations with Cyprus, notwithstanding opinions expressed by individual Lebanese citizens not elected to positions of leadership in government? Why not?

"Resistance" is a lie when one is the first to fire without provocation or just permission. Someone is not a victim of another taking retribution from someone who wronged them.

Thumb i.report 19 June 2024, 22:10

Hezbollah's threat to Cyprus is a bold and unflinching declaration of war against any nation that dares to support Israel's military aggression. Nasrallah's warning is unequivocal: if Cyprus allows its airports and bases to be used by Israel, it will become a legitimate and immediate target of Hezbollah's wrath. This is not a mere caution; it is a promise of devastating retaliation.

Over recent years, Cyprus and Greece have grown increasingly close to Israel, aligning themselves with its extremist policies and actions in the region. This proximity and support embolden Israel's aggression against Lebanon and the Palestinian people, making Cyprus possibly complicit in these acts of war.

Cyprus must understand that its alliances have consequences, and Hezbollah is prepared to hold it accountable with the utmost severity.

Thumb Mystic 20 June 2024, 00:53

You used to be staunch anti Hezbollah, what happened? You finally realized that the Shia you hated are the only ones willing to fight alongside palestinians to free Al Quds while the sunnis sit on their hands worldwide?

Thumb i.report 20 June 2024, 02:13

Mystique, don't misunderstand my post—I'm not pro-Hezbollah. However, in the context of the ongoing genocide in Palestine, Hezbollah stands out as the only Lebanese party taking a firm stance, despite any underlying agendas they might have. We know their goal isn't to liberate Al Quds but to expose the true nature of Zionism that the world has been blind to. Even if Israel were to eradicate every single Palestinian, they have already lost the moral war and forfeited their right to exist in their current form. Zionism is destined for extinction.

You may have noted my evolution; I was once looking towards the West, but like many Lebanese, I have shifted my focus to the East (Global South) and the BRICS. Even Iran and Saudi Arabia have set their differences aside for this very objective.

Thumb Mystic 20 June 2024, 03:09

It is amusing to see how the tides are changing indeed.

Thumb Mystic 20 June 2024, 03:10

Politics are never permanent. Prince ibn Salam gave Bashar Al Assad a warm hug and welcome in Saudi Arabia aswell.

Thumb scorpyonn 20 June 2024, 04:29

I cannot wait for this Iranian sycophant to cower in the sewers of Beirut waiting for the Israelis to get him. I am sure he will be on the list if he continues to flap his mouth.

Thumb scorpyonn 20 June 2024, 04:31

Israel will target him immediately and get rid of his Iranian-fueled attitude. It will be the biggest gift they can give Lebanon.

Thumb gebran_sons 20 June 2024, 08:31

Nassrallah is again acting as the Devil deputy, god of death and destruction. He thrives on people misery celebrating death and hate. A blood trader bargaining people life and properties for Iran’s nuclear nirvana. He acts as Iran’s foreign legion chief turning the South into Iran’s rocket base & Arab hegemony. Nassralllah is worse that pedophile Houthis that indoctrinate kids marrying young girls and enlisting kids in army; worst form of child abuse. Nothing Houthis and Hizbollah do benefit their country, rather by force of arms spread misery and ruins. Hizbollah like Houthis are child abusers indoctrinating them from early age, making them human killers by teaching a culture of death glorifying assassins as killers of Hariri and M14 martyrs. How long do we have to wait before for our army declare war and liberate the Country from this Iranian Legion and put Hizbollah and Hamas leaders in prison to account for their crimes and restore sovereignty and independence?

Missing michelle 25 June 2024, 00:30

Cyprus? His ingrown beard hairs are starting to affect his little brain :D. There is also the lack of sun in the sewers that he calls home.