Hezbollah Warns Israel To ‘Expect Surprises’ Days After Iran President’s Death

Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, has issued a stark warning to Israel, which has been engaged in an eight-month-long war in Gaza. “You must expect surprises from our resistance,” declared Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah, in a televised speech.

This warning follows closely on the heels of the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the life of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Nasrallah’s remarks came after Israeli leaders acknowledged their failure to meet their objectives in the ongoing Gaza conflict, which erupted following the deadly October 7 attacks by the Palestinian Hamas group that resulted in over a thousand deaths in bordering Israeli towns.

Nasrallah criticized Israel for its setbacks and noted the international recognition of the Palestinian state by several European countries as a significant defeat for Israel. He linked this recognition to the motives behind the October 7 Hamas attack, referred to as the “Al-Aqsa Flood.” Nasrallah emphasized that the attack and the resistance’s persistence have led to Israel’s current predicament before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Furthermore, Nasrallah accused Israel of disregarding international resolutions and continuing violent raids in Rafah, despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering an immediate halt to its military operations.

The helicopter crash that killed President Raisi also took the lives of eight other prominent Iranian figures, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, East Azerbaijan Province Governor Malek Rahmati, and Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem. Following Raisi’s death, Iran’s first vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, is expected to assume the role of interim president, according to the country’s constitution. Mokhber, along with the speaker of parliament and the head of the judiciary, will form a three-person council responsible for organizing a new presidential election within 50 days.