Beirut - The chief of the Lebanese Shiite Movement on Sunday compared the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip to the July 2006 war which Israel launched against his movement. "This is a repeated scenario of the July war on Hezbollah ... but, with steadfastness, they (Palestinians) can achieve the awaited victory," Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah told thousands of his followers in Beirut's southern suburbs.
On July 12, 2006, Israel launched a 33-day war on Lebanon. The move came after Hezbollah snatched two Israeli soldiers in an attack near the Lebanese-Israeli border.
The conflict killed 1,200 people, mostly Lebanese civilians, and severely damaged Lebanon's civil infrastructure. It displaced approximately 1 million Lebanese and 300,000-500,000 Israelis. On the Israeli side, some 190 people were killed, mostly soldiers.
Nasrallah predicted that "Gaza would emerge victorious as Hezbollah had emerged victorious as in Lebanon in 2006."
"The Americans and Zionists wants to impose their conditions on the Palestinians, the Lebanese and Syria," Nasrallah said.
"The US-Israeli agenda aims at creating a humiliating settlement to the Arabs," Nasrallah said.
The comments came on the first day of Ashoura, a Shiite commemoration of the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala on 10 Muharram in the year 61 AH (October 10, 680 AD).
He charged that some Arab regimes are partners to the American- Zionist agenda.
"Some Arab countries had signed peace with Israel are partners to the scheme," Nasrallah said, adding that some Arab countries want to finish off Hamas, as Israel attempted to destroy Hezbollah in 2006.
He called on "all the Arab people to go to the streets, even if they are shot at, to pressure their governments to end the bloodshed in Gaza."
"Today the Egyptian stance should be the corner stone in the Gaza conflict ... they (the Egyptians) should open their borders to allow the food and medical supplies and even arms to the people of Gaza."
He urged Egyptians not to pressure Hamas to accept peace agreements. "If they do so; they will be a partner in the crimes committed against the people of Gaza," Nasrallah said as the crowd chanted "God bless Nasrallah."
Nasrallah urged the people of Egypt to stand against their government and take to the streets in the millions to pressure their government.
"The people of Egypt should open the border with Gaza with their chests," Nasrallah added.
"I am not calling for a coup d'etat in Egypt. But I am calling officers of the armed forces to urge their leaders to open the crossing to Gaza," Nasrallah said.
Nasrallah called on Gaza to remain steadfast because "this enemy (Israel) cannot last in a long-lasting battle."
He also said those who call for peace with Israel "have achieved nothing but defeats and massacres."
"The resistance is the only way to return our land and rights," he said.
Nasrallah called for a mass rally in support of Gaza at 3 pm Monday (1300 GMT) in south Beirut. Nasrallah also called for caution regarding possible Israeli attacks against Lebanon.
"We are ready to confront any aggression on our country and our land," Nasrallah declared.
Referring to rockets which were found in southern Lebanon on Thursday directed towards the Israeli northern settlements, Nasrallah said: "Israel and its agents might be behind deploying the rockets in Naqoura area."
