Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah’s recent “calm” televised interview appeared to heed international warnings that his party could come under an Israeli attack, said a western diplomat in Beirut.
He noted that Nasrallah was calm when addressing the issue of Israel’s activities at the border with Lebanon where it had recently concluded an operation to expose and destroy Hezbollah border tunnels.
“Nasrallah adopted a mild rhetoric when he spoke about the tunnels and precision missiles. This is seen as part of his self-defense,” he noted.
International and Arab diplomatic channels had received word that Tel Aviv was seeking to launch an offensive against Lebanon, he revealed.
He explained that an attack would boost Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s image ahead of snap parliamentary elections in April.
The diplomat said that Nasrallah sought “zero escalation” in his remarks, but would “change the rules of engagement if Israel did.”
His calm address was directed to the international community, continued the diplomat. He sought to relay the message that he stands behind the Lebanese army “against the walls that Israel is building.”
He also wanted to direct a message to Lebanese powers, implying that he was willing to discuss the possibility of studying a national defense strategy without preconditions.
Nasrallah’s ultimate goal, said the diplomat, was to send a message that he was not willing to put his party at odds with the international community, which is keen on cementing stability in Lebanon.
