PRIMER: Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah speaks at 13:00GMT/09:00EDT

Analysis details (09:05)

• Remarks will be the Hezbollah leaders first comments since the beginning of the Hamas-Israel war.


• From the speech, we will be looking for any indication as to whether Hezbollah is set to commit itself more fully to the conflict and take a more prominent position against Israel as thus far their involvement has mainly been around the frontier and utilising a limited amount of their military force; on this, unconfirmed and uncorroborated Telegram reporting has suggested that if a ceasefire was not agreed by the time of the speech then they would be prepared to declare war against Israel.


• A further consideration is what Hezbollah's stance means for Iran, as Nasrallah has a prominent role within the "Axis of Resistance" which is a anti-Israel/Western coalition formed and led by Iran who, thus far, have had a relatively limited role in the conflict.


• In terms of any ceasefire, talks of one have become more prominent in the last 24-hours with US VP Harris saying they are seriously considering a humanitarian ceasefire within Gaza. Further to this, an Israeli official added that PM Netanyahu is said to be considering the request and could agree to a halt for a few hours, which would allow for hospitals within Gaza to receive fuel.


• Finally, it is worth reminding that US Secretary of State Blinken landed in Israel earlier in the session.

03 Nov 2023 - 09:05- Research Sheet- Source: Newsquawk