The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group warned the U.S. on Friday that averting a regional conflict depends on a complete halt to Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, and also reiterated worries that fighting on the Lebanese front is likely to turn into a full-fledged war.
Syed Hassan Nasrallah said in reference to the U.S. that his Iranian-backed group is ready to confront US fleets in the Mediterranean Sea.
You, the Americans, can stop the aggression against Gaza because it is your aggression. Whoever wants to prevent a regional war, and I am talking to the Americans, must quickly halt the aggression on Gaza.
Since 8 October, Hezbollah has been involved in confrontations with Israel, but these clashes have mostly focused on the border and have not worsened to another phase of the conflict; Hezbollah confirms that so far it has used only a fraction of the arsenal that could fall on Israel.
Since the conflict began, Shiite groups backed by Tehran have entered the conflict, shelling U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, and Yemen’s Houthis have launched drones at Israel.
Nasrallah, a serious and influential figure who welcomed the Iraqi and Yemeni efforts, made a statement regarding the Americans: “You, the Americans, know very well that if war breaks out in the region, your fleets will be of no use,” he said.
The one who will pay the price will be… your interests, your soldiers and your fleets.
After the outbreak of the conflict, the Pentagon sent two aircraft carriers to the eastern Mediterranean, saying they served only as a deterrent to prevent the conflict from widening, but did not intend to take part in the conflict. In addition, the White House issued a statement saying the U.S. does not want the conflict to spread to Lebanon.
Hezbollah responded by being fearless in the face of American warships, and Nasrallah reiterated once again that “We have prepared well for your fleets, with which you are threatening us.”
Nasrallah recalled the attacks on U.S. interests in Lebanon in the early 1980s – referring to the 1983 suicide bombing that destroyed the U.S. Marine Corps headquarters in Beirut, killing 241 soldiers, and the suicide attack on the U.S. Embassy. The United States holds Hezbollah responsible for these attacks.
Since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. As a result, at least 9,227 people, many of them women and children, have been killed since Israeli bombardment of the small coastal enclave of 2.3 million people began, according to Gaza’s medical services.
The possibility of the Lebanese front breaking out into a ” full-fledged war” is very real, he stressed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his confident manner, warned Hezbollah to prevent from opening a second front of war with Israel, saying it would cause Israeli retaliatory strikes of “unimaginable” proportions that would devastate Lebanon.
In regard to the north, I tell our enemies once again, do not test us. You will pay dearly for any such mistake.
Hezbollah is increasing its strength day by day, therefore, Israel has to keep a considerable number of forces along the northern border.
