Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah appears in a video shared on social media on Oct. 29, 2023. (Screenshot/X)
BEIRUT — Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah appeared in a short video shared on Sunday as the deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas entered its 23rd day. Nasrallah has not delivered a speech since the start of the war on Oct. 7.
The video was shared on the X platform by pro-Hezbollah journalist Hussein Mortada, Nasrallah's son Jawad Nasrallah and other users. A Hezbollah spokesperson confirmed to L'Orient Today that the party did not publish the video itself, but that it was relayed by "an account that sometimes publishes images of Sayyed Nasrallah." The spokesperson offered no further comment.
The video, which lasts approximately 10 seconds, shows Nasrallah, from the back, walking past a poster of Hezbollah's logo.
According to some commentators, the video might be a hint that Hezbollah's chief will soon deliver a speech.
Some analysts believe that Nasrallah not yet having spoken is part of the party's "psychological warfare," while others say that the absence of a speech could indicate hesitation from Hezbollah to publicly declare war on Israel at this stage.
On Oct. 23, Hezbollah announced that Nasrallah has received a phone call from Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil through a secure line. Three days later, in an image published by the party, Nasrallah sent a letter to Hezbollah's media institutions asking them to name the party's members killed since Oct. 7 as "martyrs on the road to Jerusalem."