Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called on the Lebanese terror group to fight a war of “comprehensive resistance” against Israel in a speech on Tuesday, the 16th anniversary of the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

On May 24, 2000, Israel withdrew from its security zone in southern Lebanon, bringing it into compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 425. “By withdrawing from Lebanon, Israel removes any alleged ‘legitimacy’ for continued terrorist attacks against the ‘occupiers’ soldiers and civilians,'” Etyan Bentsur, then the director-general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, wrote in an op-ed at the time. But instead of the Lebanese army and UN observers taking charge of security in southern Lebanon, as the Security Council resolution prescribed, Hezbollah took over instead. Over the next six years, residents of northern Israel were subjected to a series of cross-border terror attacks, eventually precipitating a war in 2006.

In his speech, Nasrallah called Israel the “real enemy” and the biggest threat to the Middle East. He appealed to the so-called “resistance axis,” which includes Iran, its allied countries, and proxy militias, to continue its fight against Israel’s “occupation.”

IDF deputy chief of staff Maj. Gen. Yair Golan said last month that the next war between Israel and Hezbollah would be “devastating” due to Hezbollah’s widely-reported tactic of hiding military assets in civilian areas. An Israeli defense official told The New York Times last year that the buildup of Hezbollah’s terror infrastructure in southern Lebanese villages meant that “civilians are living in a military compound” and that their lives were at risk. A few days later, a newspaper linked to Hezbollah confirmed the Israeli assessment.

In February, Nasrallah threatened an attack on ammonium tanks in Haifa, which could kill tens of thousands of people.

Reports emerged two years ago that Hezbollah was offering reduced-price housing to Shiite families who allowed the terrorist group to hide rocket launchers in their homes. UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which was passed unanimously to end the 2006 war, forbids the transfer of weaponry to Hezbollah. However, Iran has continued to arm Hezbollah and the Security Council has refused to act to enforce the resolution.

Former State Department official Aaron David Miller wrote last week that Iran’s continued arming of Hezbollah heightens the risks of a war between Hezbollah and Israel.

[ Photo: sayed hasan / YouTube ]