BEIRUT, November 3. /TASS/. Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanon-based Shiite party Hezbollah, will demand an immediate end to the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip in his televised address on Friday, prominent Lebanese diplomat Adnan Mansour, who served as foreign minister in 2011-2014, told TASS.
"It is difficult to guess what exactly the Shiite politician will say, but everyone is waiting for his speech in the hope that a new conflict will be avoided," the diplomat said. "Sheikh Nasrallah will speak based on the balance of forces after 27 days of military escalation in southern Lebanon; he will issue a serious warning to Israel of the consequences of continuing this aggression," Mansour pointed out.
A Lebanon 24 news columnist, in turn, opined that the Hezbollah leader will not only issue an ultimatum to Israel and the US, but will also touch on the "unpleasant surprises" that await the opponents of Hezbollah and Iran should they decide to embark on a military adventure. "So far, I don't see any signs that we are going to see the military tensions in the Middle East de-escalate," he said, adding that, "on the contrary, everything points to the opposite: There will be no calm in the coming days."
According to military expert General Amine Hoteit, Hezbollah's adherence to the established rules of engagement and the limitation of military operations in the border areas to a five-to ten-kilometer radius have "constrained" the Israeli forces. "Hezbollah did not give Israel a reason to strike deep inside Lebanese territory, but has forced [Tel Aviv] to keep significant forces in the north," the expert pointed out. "This tactic justified itself and forced it [Israel] to limit the scope of the ground operation in Gaza," he noted.
Lebanese prime minister calls for peace
Earlier, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said during a government meeting that "Lebanon has considerable experience of wars with Israel, so our choice is peace." The prime minister put forward an initiative to declare a five-day ceasefire "to give diplomatic efforts a chance and to agree on a prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas."
Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported earlier that Hezbollah leader Nasrallah has issued an ultimatum to the US through mediators, demanding a halt to the Israeli military operation in Gaza by Friday, November 3. According to the newspaper, if the US fails to meet this demand, Sheikh Nasrallah will announce in a planned televised address on Friday "a general mobilization of Shiite formations for war with Israel and will launch military operations against Israel from all directions."