Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah declared on Monday for the first time that the powerful terror group has 100,000 trained fighters in its military, a statement that was made in an attempt to frighten domestic foes amid claims that a civil war could start.
In his first speech since seven fatalities were reported during gun battles on the streets of Beirut on Thursday, Nasrallah disclosed just how many fighters the group had. The incident was considered to be the worst street violence that the city has experienced in several years. It was a result of a long-running probe that looked into the cause of the massive port blast that happened in the city last year.
Hezbollah's Military Might
Despite Nasrallah claiming Hezbollah has 100,000 trained personnel, it was a difficult claim to verify due to the terror group's secrecy. But if the group leader's claims were true, Hezbollah's military might would be far larger than Lebanon's armed forces, which had an estimated force of 85,000 soldiers.
Nasrallah's claims also came at a time when tensions in Lebanon were running high after the clashes and investigations into the Aug. 4, 2020, port blast that killed 215 people. "We have prepared (those fighters) with their diverse weapons to defend our territory, our oil and gas that is being robbed before the eyes of Lebanese, to protect the dignity and sovereignty of our country from any aggression (and) terrorism and not for internal fighting," he said, the Times of Israel reported.
On top of his claims, Nasrallah argued that the violence in Beirut was a dangerous and crucial incident that marked a new phase in how the region dealt with internal politics. Additionally, the Hezbollah leader criticized the Christian Lebanese Forces party and its leader, Samir Geagea, repeatedly accusing them of being responsible for the deaths of the seven people during the violence.
However, the Lebanese Forces party, which has a close relationship with Saudi Arabia, has denied the Hezbollah leader's accusations. The allegations came as Nasrallah said that Hezbollah was not the Lebanese Christians' enemy. Nasrallah argued that the biggest threat for the Christian presence in Lebanon was actually the Lebanese Forces party and Geagea, Yahoo News reported.
Denial of Accusations
Nasrallah accused Geagea of trying to spark a civil war in the country and that it was the Lebanese Forces party's real program. The official said that the opposition had no qualms about causing events that result in bloodshed or deaths despite potentially causing a large-scale military confrontation of civil war.
The Thursday incident involved an unidentified gunman that fired at hundreds of Hezbollah and Amal supporters. The group of people were part of a protest by the Beirut Justice Palace and caused hours-long clashes that killed seven combatants and civilians while injuring over 30 other people.
On the other hand, Hezbollah members at the event were believed to have been armed, an accusation that Nasrallah has denied, saying they did not have weapons and made no security measures. The official said the group left the responsibility to security agencies due to the protest taking place in a sensitive area, Aljazeera reported.
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