“The game is over,” Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said. “All hostile attempts to execute plans in Syria and Iraq failed,” he said in the three-hour interview with the pan-Arab news channel Al-Mayadeen on Jan. 15.

Nasrallah’s interview was packed with messages on Israel, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain and Iran; in rhetoric, it seemed offensive, non-conciliatory and threatening, yet between the lines, there were stances that could be seen as new and promising, mainly on Syria.

Regarding the front with Israel, Nasrallah reiterated his threats that Hezbollah is capable of occupying the Galilee and beyond, if necessary, thereby confirming previous reports that his party possesses Iranian Fateh-110 missiles. “We have had them since 2006, today we have much more sophisticated missiles … We have all [the weapons] you can imagine, and in great quantities; we are now stronger than we ever were as a resistance movement," he said.

This might be the first time that Nasrallah mentioned an advanced missile in his party’s arsenal, for he always preferred to be ambiguous about the kinds and numbers of rockets Hezbollah has. Nasrallah’s statement can be interpreted as part of the longtime deterrence strategy adopted by Hezbollah, the aim of which is to postpone any attack as much as possible, by giving a clear hint on the party’s level of armament. Yet, the Hezbollah leader said: “There is deterrence on both sides of the border. If the resistance decides to force a confrontation, it should be aware that Israel is a strong enemy and the Israelis also know the resistance is strong and capable.”