Israel has languished in a diplomatic crisis since then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a debilitating stroke in January 2006, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Saturday, calling the former prime minister "the last king of Israel."

Nasrallah made the comments during a speech in Lebanon commemorating Mawlid, the Muslim celebration of the Prophet Muhammad's birthday.

Last week's parliamentary elections prove that "Israel's political leadership is in a state of degradation," Nasrallah said, adding that "there is no central, strong party."

As for Hezbollah's course of action following the election, Nasrallah said that "we must continue to adhere to the resistance."

"As a nation, we must cooperate with our brothers in Palestine and ensure the strength and durability of the opposition," he said.

Referring to Operation Pillar of Defense, the week-long IDF operation in the Gaza Strip that began with the assassination of Hamas' military chief Ahmed Jabari, Nasrallah called on the "Palestinians in the West Bank to observe the steadfast nature of their brothers' front against the occupational forces in the Gaza Strip."

Hostilities between Israel and Hamas have mostly subsided since an Egypt-brokered cease-fire went into effect at the end of November.