“An enormous surprise occurred on October 7, 2023,” Nasser Abu-Sharif told Tasnim in an interview, saying Palestinian resistance fighters had prepared thoroughly and demonstrated exceptional professionalism, leaving Israeli forces completely confused.

He said the Israeli regime’s extensive surveillance systems, including monitoring cameras, aerial surveillance and interception of communications, failed to prevent resistance fighters from reaching military bases near Gaza.

Despite receiving extensive political, diplomatic and financial support from the US and European countries after the attack, Abu-Sharif argued, the Israeli regime failed to achieve its objectives through its subsequent military campaigns in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and other fronts.

“These crimes not only damaged its image in the Arab and Palestinian worlds, but also in societies that had previously provided it with a protective umbrella,” he said, adding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued to evade responsibility for the consequences of October 7 and the actions that followed.

Abu-Sharif said resistance takes various forms, including armed struggle, political positions and steadfastness, stressing that “patience and steadfastness are not merely moral values in our culture, but strategic components.”

He said the Israeli regime has failed to defeat the resistance fronts despite inflicting extensive destruction on Gaza. According to Abu-Sharif, around 90% of the territory has been devastated, while the Israeli military has failed to displace its population or establish control over the enclave.

“Gaza remains steadfast, its people are standing firm, and the resistance speaks on their behalf,” he said.

Abu-Sharif added that consultations with Hamas continue and that, despite heavy blows against Hezbollah in Lebanon, the movement has carried out thousands of operations against Israeli forces. He said the Zionist regime has failed to establish control over Lebanese territory without encountering resistance and suffering human and material losses.

“The resistance is alive and active,” he said.

Abu-Sharif said the Israeli regime’s international standing, particularly in the US and Europe, has been seriously weakened.

“A real change has taken place, and statistics and opinion polls confirm it,” he said, predicting that the shift would gradually be reflected in US political institutions, including Congress, the Senate and state and local governments.

He said the decline in the Israeli regime’s influence is increasingly acknowledged in the US itself and argued that the Israeli regime has suffered losses while resistance movements have gained support from people around the world opposed to Zionism.

Addressing regional security arrangements, Abu-Sharif said some Arab governments remain heavily dependent on Western powers and face intense pressure, particularly from the Israeli regime.

He argued that US military bases in Arab countries are established primarily to protect Israel rather than their host countries, adding that they have become a burden and potential targets amid regional confrontation.

“The US protective umbrella has proved ineffective,” he said, arguing that recent developments, including the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran, have exposed the limitations of Washington’s security guarantees.

Abu-Sharif cited Saudi Arabia’s growing engagement with China, Pakistan and Turkey, as well as the United Arab Emirates’ efforts to expand ties with China and Russia, as signs that regional governments are seeking to diversify their international partnerships and reduce reliance on the US.