Nasrallah says ‘hundreds of thousands’ ready to go to war against Israel

Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, warned Israel on Friday that thousands of fighters from different countries will be ready to strike back if Israel launches any attack.

"The Israeli enemy must know that if an Israeli war is launched on Syria or Lebanon, it is not known that the fighting will remain Lebanese-Israeli, or Syrian-Israeli. This doesn't mean there are states that might intervene directly," he said.

"But this could open the way for thousands, even hundreds of thousands of fighters from all over the Arab and Islamic world to participate," he said in a televised speech.

He accused Israel of trying to pressure the Palestinians to capitulate to its and the Americans' demands, but said that won't happen if the "axis of resistance" continues to grow stronger.

Nasrallah’s latest remarks put Lebanon in a difficult situation, especially when he talked about engaging sectarian-motivated fighters from countries such as Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan in a war against Israel.

Nasrallah’s statements were reminiscent of those made before the July 2006 war with Israel, which was waged in response to the kidnapping and killing of Israeli soldiers.