Hezbollah leader reaffirms loyalty to Iran, Khamenei

The leader of Lebanese Hezbollah on Tuesday reaffirmed his loyalty to Iran and Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, adding that he will not be on the fence if “Iran is involved in any war.”

In a televised address, Hassan Nasrallah also said that there are “absolutely” no red lines when it comes to defending Lebanon against Israeli attacks.

“Lebanon and the Lebanese people reserve the right to defend Lebanon against Israeli aggression,” Nasrallah said.

His pronouncement of allegiance to Iran comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reveal on Monday of another secret nuclear site in Iran. Netanyahu called on the international community to join the US economic sanctions on Tehran.

“The only way to stop Iran’s march to the bomb and its aggression in the region, is pressure, pressure, and more pressure,” said Netanyahu.

Netanyahu also warned Iranian leadership of Israel’s surveillance capabilities.

“This is what I have to say to the tyrants of Iran: Israel knows what you are doing, Israel knows when you are doing it, and Israel knows where you are doing it,” Netanyahu said.

Nasrallah also said a US official visiting Beirut to mediate between Lebanon and Israel over a maritime border dispute is a “friend of Israel.”

Nasrallah urged Lebanese officials to negotiate from a point of strength with US Assistant Secretary of State David Schenker.

President Michel Aoun on Tuesday received Schenker, who is on his first visit to Lebanon since taking the post earlier this year.

The office of Lebanon’s presidency said Aoun hopes the US “will resume meditation to demarcate the border in the south” and “help Lebanon facilitate the return of displaced people.”

Washington is mediating between the two countries, which have been officially at war since Israel’s creation in 1948.