Nasrallah: Israel took advantage of kidnapping to start a war

Hezbollah leader accuses Israel of committing war crimes, accuses US of hatching plot to force Palestinians out of Gaza.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah addresses supporters in Beirut (photo credit: REUTERS)
Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah addresses supporters in Beirut
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah made a rare public speech on Friday accusing Israel of blaming Hamas for the kidnapping of the three yeshiva boys in order to start a war.
"Israel is committing war crimes in its attempt to erase the 'Palestinian problem,'" he said. "They are destroying houses and mosques, kicking people out of their homes, much like they did in Lebanon."
Nasrallah also claimed that the military operation in Gaza is actually part of an American plot to "eliminate the Palestinian cause and force them to emigrate to Australia, Canada and other places in order to break and subdue Gaza."
The speech was broadcast on Lebanese television network Al Manar, and allegedly took place at Hezbollah headquarters in Beirut, Channel 2 reported, making it the first time Nasrallah has left the underground bunker where he lives in several years.
In a phone call with Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal and the leader of Islamic Jihad Ramadan Salah earlier this week, Nasrallah vowed to support "the resistance in Gaza in any way necessary" in its fight against the IDF.