Sayyed Nasrallah’s Threats Entrench into ’Israeli’ Public Opinion

Jihad Haidar

Although the Lebanese have grown accustomed to "Israeli" threats, just as they have grown accustomed to "Israeli" violations [of their sovereignty] via land, sea, and air, that does not eliminate the fact that these threats constitute an act of aggression on Lebanon and the Lebanese people.

However, what distinguished the "Israeli" threats in recent days, which reached the extent of a threat to launch operations aimed at causing wide-scale displacement in Lebanon, was that they came in the context of the manoeuvres - both offensive and defensive - and amidst renewed Israeli bets on the developments on the ground in Syria. This necessitated a proportionate response from Hizbullah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who in turn threatened to displace millions of "Israelis".

It appears that "Israeli" threats took a new turn on the back of renewed "Israeli" bets on the future of the situation in Syria, which might have moved officials in Tel Aviv to assume that Hizbullah has become more cautious in confronting "Israel".

This is not the first time that "Israel" adopts its [political] positions based on developments in Syria. Such past bets ended in failure and disappointment. Among the most prominent examples was in 2012 when "Israeli" Security Minister Ehud Barak asserted that the fall of President Assad was only weeks away.

On the other hand, we can say that the contents of the response, that is, one that was identical and even greater.., and that the one issuing the threat is his Eminence the Secretary General himself, has achieved a balance on the deterrence level. This is especially the case since the response involved a pledge to respond with its equal, if "Israel" dared to carry out its threats.

Furthermore, the extent to which his Eminence Sayyed [Nasrallah] went with his response to the "Israeli" threats, revealed the emptiness of the renewed ["Israeli"] delusions, as it appeared that the resistance had - and still has - the initiative, and the ability to respond in kind, to any "Israeli" aggression.

It can be noted that his Eminence did not suffice himself with the prior knowledge of the enemy regarding the capabilities of the resistance; rather, he even went to the extent of himself publicly pledging a harsh response. This means that the will to use these [military] capabilities still remains free from restrictions that may exist in the illusions of some "Israelis".

Here you can understand the surprise that struck the enemy and its people following the response of Sayyed Nasrallah. This underlines two main points:

Firstly, the message reached its intended target in Tel Aviv. In other words, it seems certain that this stance [by Sayyed Nasrallah] will be strongly present in the [calculations] of the political and security decision-makers in Tel Aviv.

Secondly, the message of Sayyed Nasrallah has entrenched deep into the consciousness of "Israeli" public opinion, especially considering that all "Israeli" media quoted the threats of the Secretary General of Hizbullah, and spread the headline of the threat [i.e. the deportation of millions of "Israelis"] on newspapers and websites.

Furthermore, it must be taken into consideration that the "Israeli" public witnessed itself the home front manoeuvres, which were based on a scenario whereby the home front is struck by 1000 rockets per day.

This gives Sayyed Nasrallah's remarks greater credibility within the "Israeli" public, in addition, to the acknowledgement of their leaders or the serious and practical nature of these threats. Benjamin Netanyahu himself said: "We have found that the home front has become part of the warzone."

Source: al-Ahed News, Translated by website team