Hassan Nasrallah delivered his first public remarks Friday since the outbreak of the Hamas-Israel war

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah praised Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre Friday, calling the assault that left 1,400 Israelis dead a "glorious operation." But he stopped short of declaring all-out war between his group and Israel.

Thousands gathered in downtown Beirut to watch a video feed of Nasrallah delivering his first public remarks since the outbreak of the Hamas-Israel war last month.

In recent weeks, Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shia Islamist group, has exchanged fire with the Israeli military, shooting rockets and suicide drones across the Israel-Lebanon border, raising fears the militant group could declare war with Israel and open a second front as tries to root Hamas out of the Gaza Strip.

But for all his strong rhetoric Friday, Nasrallah did not announce any major escalation.

“Some claim that we are about to engage in the war. I’m telling you we have been engaged in this battle since October the 8th," he said. He boasted that Hezbollah's activities had forced Israel to mass one third of its forces on the Lebanese border and had contributed to a state of "fear and panic" in the Israeli leadership.

Nasrallah described the current exchanges of fire as "sizable" but vowed they would "not be the end" of Hezbollah's involvement in the conflict. Nasrallah implied there could still be further escalations, saying “all scenarios are open on our Lebanese Southern Front. All options are laid out and we can adopt any at any point in time.”

He also made a threat against the U.S. fleet in the Eastern Mediterranean saying, “we have prepared for them.”

He also praised other Iran-backed groups in Yemen and Iraq for their recent attacks on Israel and on U.S. forces in the region. He called on Arab and Islamic governments to cut off food and fuel supplies to Israel.

Hezbollah has said it has lost some 55 fighters in its skirmishes with Israel so far.

Israel has vowed swift retaliation if Hezbollah mounted a larger assault.

Even as he praised the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, Nasrallah was also careful to distance his own group from the group, saying the "operation was 100% Palestinian in terms of decision and execution" and that other members of the "axis of resistance," a term for Iran-backed groups throughout the region, had not been informed in advance. He also referred vaguely to "reports and investigations" suggesting that it was the Israeli military, not Hamas, that had killed Israeli civilians.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that were Hezbollah to open a new front in the war, the Israeli response would be "unimaginable," and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, visiting Israel Friday, repeated his warning that Hezbollah not declare war.

Israel already has engaged in the deadliest escalation of violence with Hezbollah since at least 2006, according to Reuters.

Joshua Keating

Hezbollah Chief Calls Hamas Massacre on Israel ‘Glorious Operation,’ Stops Short of War Declaration