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“This speech could've been an email”: this joke, which went viral on social media, reflects the mixed feelings surrounding Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's highly anticipated address on Friday, after weeks of conspicuous silence following the start of the Israel-Gaza war.
The speech, framed as one of the most crucial of his career, had the entire nation on the edge of their seats amid the backdrop of deadly clashes along the Lebanese-Israeli border. Many in Lebanon had feared that the leader of the Iran-backed militia would officially declare war against Israel, which it fought in the 2006 war, potentially drawing the country into a regional conflagration.
Instead, Hassan Nasrallah attempted to navigate a delicate balancing act.
He ruled out the prospect of an immediate all-out conflict in Lebanon and called for a ceasefire, all the while maintaining that “all options are open on the Lebanese front. All options are on the table, and we are ready for all possibilities.”
“The speech turned out to be less confrontational than anticipated. Mr Nasrallah has chosen to keep his options open, but it appears he has recognised the lack of appetite within the Lebanese population for Lebanon's involvement in this conflict,” said political analyst Karim Bitar.
Hezbollah had quickly backed Hamas's attack on October 7, escalating violence on the Lebanese-Israeli border the day after, which resulted in daily clashes between Israel and the Shiite militia, killing 71 on the Lebanese side as reported by AFP, including 7 civilians.
So far, the conflict has loosely followed the so-called “rules of engagement”, which govern retaliation between the two enemies.
“Lebanese citizens are breathing a sigh of relief tonight, as they had been apprehensive about the prospect of an escalation,” Mr Bitar added.
While expressing support for the Palestinians, the Lebanese government, amid its continuing economic crisis, is wary of the conflict spilling over into Lebanon.
The key decision-maker, however, is not the Lebanese state, with no president, a government in its caretaker capacity and a barely functioning parliament, but rather Hezbollah and its sponsor, Iran.
“Mr Nasrallah knows that most of Lebanese are against the war and that he cannot afford a conflict in these circumstances,” he added.
'Mixed feelings'
But the ambivalence of the speech generated a range of emotions among the Lebanese population since it neither fully de-escalated nor fully escalated the situation.
Marc, a 33-year-old resident of Beirut, said: “The speech was well-balanced, but we are still anxious; he did say that all options are still on the table.”
“I have mixed feelings,” said Mireille, a 47 year-old project manager. “I'm reassured because he doesn't seem to want to escalate, but at the same time, Mr Nasrallah made us believe for all these years that Hezbollah is here to support Palestine and destroy Israel; if he is not doing it now, then when is he going to do it?”
On the other hand, anti-Hezbollah parties, such as the Lebanese Forces, a right-wing Christian party, did not interpret the speech as having a balanced tone.
“We were overwhelmed trying to finalise internal issues and figure out ways to support the state institutions and help our Lebanese people amid these harsh situations and we did not have the chance to listen to Mr Nasrallah,” a spokesman for the party told The National.
“But reading the speech later on, we found our narrative even stronger and our request to fully implement resolution 1701 even more critical after Mr Nasrallah's speech,” he added. Resolution 1701 calls for the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon, including Hezbollah.
“One would expect from a political leader in these times to speak about the interests of Lebanon, yet Mr Nasrallah yesterday, all he tried was to show that he speaks on behalf of the Axis of Resistance.”
'Everything is under the Sayyed's control'
In Dahieh, a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut, the atmosphere significantly diverged from the rest of the capital. The majority of Hezbollah's supporters present at the rally on Friday in Ashoura Square, where the speech was screened, expressed their support for war against Israel.
However, according to Karim El Mufti, a professor of international relations at Sciences Po Paris, the situation is more nuanced.
“Mr. Nasrallah's speech also aimed to address his base, which is divided between radicals eager for a wider conflict and those who do not want a repeat of the 2006 war. Hezbollah could potentially fracture,” he observed.
That is why, he explained, Mr Nasrallah attempted to play on both sides, emphasising that the country had “entered the battle on October 8” while deflecting any escalation on Israel and the United States.
Has Mr Nasrallah's strategy proven effective? There was no indication of disappointment among the thousands of gathered supporters, who all enthusiastically applauded the speech, but that is also to be expected at such a rally as Hezbollah knows how to keep its troops in line.
“We are soldiers; we are prepared to fight on the ground, and we are in agreement with everything he said,” Youssef, a 17-year-old, told The National.
“It was a very impressive speech. Even if there is a war, we trust that everything is under the Sayyed's control. He lifted up the spirits, and we are not afraid, whether there is a war or not,” added 14-year-old Fatima.
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
On the menu
First course
▶ Emirati sea bass tartare Yuzu and labneh mayo, avocado, green herbs, fermented tomato water
▶ The Tale of the Oyster Oyster tartare, Bahraini gum berry pickle
Second course
▶ Local mackerel Sourdough crouton, baharat oil, red radish, zaatar mayo
▶ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Quail, smoked freekeh, cinnamon cocoa
Third course
▶ Bahraini bouillabaisse Venus clams, local prawns, fishfarm seabream, farro
▶ Lamb 2 ways Braised lamb, crispy lamb chop, bulgur, physalis
Dessert
▶ Lumi Black lemon ice cream, pistachio, pomegranate
▶ Black chocolate bar Dark chocolate, dates, caramel, camel milk ice cream
The%20Little%20Mermaid%20
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More from UAE Human Development Report:
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham v Ajax, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
Ponti
Sharlene Teo, Pan Macmillan
The biog
Most memorable achievement: Leading my first city-wide charity campaign in Toronto holds a special place in my heart. It was for Amnesty International’s Stop Violence Against Women program and showed me the power of how communities can come together in the smallest ways to have such wide impact.
Favourite film: Childhood favourite would be Disney’s Jungle Book and classic favourite Gone With The Wind.
Favourite book: To Kill A Mockingbird for a timeless story on justice and courage and Harry Potters for my love of all things magical.
Favourite quote: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill
Favourite food: Dim sum
Favourite place to travel to: Anywhere with natural beauty, wildlife and awe-inspiring sunsets.
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What is a robo-adviser?
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Bharat
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
