(*) Nasrallah: Former PM Hoss was a national symbol of integrity, supporter of the resistance

Hezbollah Secretary-General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, delivered a televised speech this evening on the recent developments, beginning with offering his condolences to the Lebanese people over the passing of former Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss, considering that he "was a national symbol of integrity and resistance, and a supporter of the resistance movement until the last moments of his life." Nasrallah also saluted "the Lebanese heroic and brave resistance fighters firmly rooted in the land like mountains and to the heroic resistance fighters in Gaza, Iraq, and Yemen." He added: "The resistance declared its commitment and determination to respond to the brutal aggression on the southern suburb of Beirut, to consolidate the equations for which blood and sacrifices were shed." He explained the reasons for the delayed response, citing many factors in this context including the American and Israeli mobilization. "Haste could have meant failure and the same delay was a punishment for the enemy," Nasrallah said, adding, "We delayed our response to give enough opportunity to the negotiations taking place over Gaza." Source: National News Agency - Lebanon