Beirut, March 14 (IANS): Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said that Israel will not be able to eliminate Hamas even if it enters Rafah, a local media outlet reported.

"You have failed to achieve any of the war's targets; even the Rafah operation will not offer you an image of victory. You will not be able to get rid of Hamas or the resistance," Nasrallah said on Wednesday in a televised speech on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, showing solidarity with Hamas, the Gaza-ruling Palestinian faction.

Nasrallah said that Israel had failed to achieve its "biggest goal" -- to eliminate Hamas at the beginning of the war. After nearly six months of war, Israelis are negotiating with Hamas through mediation, local TV channel al-Manar reported.

He claimed that Hamas is negotiating on behalf of all Palestinian factions, and it aims to reach a halt to the Israeli aggression against Gaza and not only a ceasefire.

The Lebanon-Israel border has been witnessing increased tension since October 8, 2023, after Lebanese armed group Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel in support of the Hamas attack on Israel the previous day, prompting Israel to respond by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.