Hezbollah's Nasrallah signals restraint, keeps options open in Gaza war

Week in Review

Nov 3, 2023

11/03/2023 Tehran, Iran. In a pro-government rally in the Islamic Republic of Iran, people gathered at Imam Hossein Square in Tehran on November 3, 2023, to watch Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah's speech regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict. Among the crowd, Lebanon's Hezbollah flags and Palestinian flags were proudly waved. During the speech in Beirut, Nasrallah addressed the Israeli army's attack on Gaza and issued a warning to Israel about a potential attack on Lebanon. (Photo by Hossein Beri — In a pro-government rally in the Islamic Republic of Iran, people gathered at Imam Hossein Square to watch Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah's speech regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict, Tehran, Iran, Nov. 3, 2023. — HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Nasrallah’s calculated ambiguity includes message for Lebanon

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah’s first speech on the Israel-Hamas war was marked by “calculated ambiguity,” said Al-Monitor Senior News Editor Joyce Karam on Al-Monitor’s live webinar on the Israel-Hamas war.

“He said he is ready to escalate, but is not escalating the conflict,” said Karam.

Nasrallah has no reason to escalate now. The pressure is on Israel, and by extension the United States, as international calls for a cease-fire increase by the day, along with Palestinian civilian casualties. Nasrallah, and his backers in Iran, prefer to keep it that way.