The US and Israeli regimes have continued to treat the demarcation of maritime borders between the Zionist entity and Lebanon as a laughing matter, a calculation which has "Tel Aviv" on a collision course with the Lebanese resistance. How will they react now following the threats from Secretary General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah?

Back in early June, the US government realized that it was time to send again its negotiator to Beirut, once more, to discuss the issue of demarcating Lebanon’s maritime borders with the settler-colonial regime occupying Palestine. After years of on and off indirect negotiations, the issue was clearly not a priority for Washington, but after "Israel" sent ships into the disputed Karish field area, Lebanon’s protest against the move forced the US to relaunch negotiations.

Lebanese President, Michel Aoun, stated on June 5, that "any action or activity in the disputed area represents a provocation and an aggressive action", which also resonated with the statements issued at different levels of the Lebanese State. "Israel" then reacted by stating that it claims the entirety of the resource-rich 'Karish Field’ to be within its own “exclusive economic zone”. Later, the Lebanese resistance party, Hezbollah, threatened to take measures in order to protect their country’s sovereignty, and resources and claimed that the group was capable of preventing Israeli extraction from the Karish field.

The pro-Israel US negotiator, Amos Hochstein, then decided to make a visit to Beirut at the request of the Lebanese government. Upon his arrival, there was much talk of possible progress, yet no tangible solutions have been offered, in fact, Hochstein even went as far as laughing during an interview, at the requests from the Lebanese side for ‘Line 29’, a solution which would grant Lebanon access to the Karish field. Hochstein mocked the Lebanese people’s rights to their own resources, at a time when Lebanon is suffering through an economic crash and as many as 78% of the population live under the poverty line.

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Earlier this month, Israel announced that it had intercepted three drones that were headed towards the Karish field. It was later confirmed that the drones belonged to Hezbollah and were specifically sent for the purpose of reconnaissance, in addition to sending a message to Tel Aviv about the seriousness of the threats issued by Hezbollah. This Wednesday, Hezbollah leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, confirmed that the drones were meant to be shot down by the Israeli side and that this was a strategic escalation, causing those on board ships at Karish Field to understand the seriousness of the threats against them. Lebanese interim Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, released a joint statement along with Beirut’s foreign minister, offering what was interpreted as a criticism of the drone operation, without mentioning Hezbollah by name. It later emerged that US officials had pressured Beirut to condemn the incident, according to Axios news.

This Wednesday’s speech confirmed a number of very key points, the most important being that the resistance is fully prepared for a war with Israel over Lebanon’s resources and economic future. Nasrallah noted that the United States is still blocking the much-needed supply of Egyptian gas to Lebanon, keeping a deal that has been ready for implementation for nearly a year on freeze. June 21 was said to be the date when the deal was to be finalized, yet Washington is blocking the whole project due to its refusal to amend its sanctions against Syria, something it vowed to do. In contrast, when "Israel sought to double its gas exports and sell through Egypt to Europe, the deal was instantly signed and is being readied for implementation. This clearly demonstrates a policy of double standards, that specifically undermines those suffering and ignores their living conditions, whilst favoriting Western nations.

Nasrallah’s statements were clear, if Lebanon must be granted access to its resources, and the companies that are ready to start drilling must also be permitted to do so. If this is not achieved by September, Hezbollah is saying that the rule must be that; if Lebanon cannot gain access to its own resources, nobody can. The Secretary General of Hezbollah also said that Hezbollah knows intricate details about not only Karish Field and those who work there, and not only that, Hezbollah knows the other fields that belong to the Palestinians too, stating that all of these fields will become targets. 

At this point, "Israel" is in checkmate. There is no military solution on the table for "Tel Aviv," they are delusional if they even consider the thought that they will be victorious over the Lebanese resistance. If the United States and "Israel" continue to undermine Lebanon, laughing at the Lebanese people’s rights and aspirations, then their arrogance will mean facing escalation with the resistance and this will result in war if "Israel" follows through with its threats to attack Lebanon. "Israel" has no ground force power, its troops do not possess the morale, nor the skill, to fight the Lebanese resistance face to face. The only option Israel possesses is through the air, their army is a mess which doesn’t even dare enter the Gaza Strip on the ground. 

When faced with the annihilation of their oil and gas facilities, the Israelis will have no option but to retreat from the conflict with Hezbollah eventually. They will be forced to concede on the maritime borders issue, because not concluding this file will leave them open to attack at any time and that would mean that Europe will not get its gas from the Israelis. The fact that Washington and "Tel Aviv" have refused to compromise, so far, proves their arrogance and racist dismissal of the Lebanese people's suffering blinds them. 

A war against "Israel" at this time will not likely be limited to a single front, instead, it is likely that multiple forces belonging to the camp of resistance will act alongside the Lebanese resistance. If it is smart, the Zionist regime will take the message of Hassan Nasrallah seriously and begin to offer concessions, for if it does not, it will face an escalation at the end of which it will not come out victorious.