Lebanon’s Hezbollah says it is “prepared and ready” to join the war against Israel
Lebanon’s pro-Palestinian militant organization Hezbollah has declared that it is ready to join Hamas and other Palestinian groups in their ongoing conflict against Israel.
The group, designated as a terrorist organization by many nations, has already engaged in minor clashes with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in northern Israel near the border with southern Lebanon. Its leadership has indicated its willingness to get more involved in ongoing hostilities by creating a second front in Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza.
One of Hezbollah’s leaders said in a statement that the organization rejects calls from other countries to stand down and cease from joining the fight. Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah Naim Qassem promised to participate in full “when the time comes for action.” (Related: Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah ready to “join the battle” in Gaza, warns Hamas leader.)
“The behind-the-scenes calls with us by great powers, Arab countries, envoys of the United Nations, directly and indirectly telling us not to interfere will have no effect,” said Qassem in a speech to supporters in a suburb in Beirut. “Hezbollah knows its duties perfectly well. We are prepared and ready, fully ready, and we are following developments moment by moment,” Qassem told supporters gathered in the southern Beirut suburb.
“The question being asked, which everyone is waiting for, is what Hezbollah will do and what will its contribution be?” Qassem added. “We will contribute to the confrontation within our plan — when the time comes for any action, we will carry it out.”
Analysts note that Israel’s focus on Gaza is being used as an opportunity by Hezbollah to cause even more damage against Israel, which would be placed in a more precarious situation if it had to fight a war on two fronts.
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Hezbollah and the IDF have already exchanged fire multiple times across the Lebanese border in the biggest escalation in the conflict between the two since the 2006 Lebanon War that left several hundred Hezbollah and IDF fighters and over a thousand Lebanese civilians dead.
One recent exchange of fire struck a Hezbollah observation post and several Lebanese villages near the border. Another exchange even led to the death of a Reuters journalist.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has yet to comment on the situation. He has met with Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to discuss the ongoing conflict in Gaza, but it is unclear what the results of this meeting were. However, Amir-Abdollahian did note afterward that the United States would be needed to rein in Israel if it wants to prevent an escalation in the conflict to a full-scale regional war.
Amir-Abdollahian is expected to meet with Syrian officials about the situation. He has previously met with officials in Egypt and the United Nations about allowing humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, which Israel is refusing.
Israel has prevented all deliveries of relief goods, including food, water, fuel and electricity to reach Gaza’s 2.3 million people.
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