Gaza/Jerusalem, Nov 3: Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader has warned the US that Lebanon could turn into a frontline war if Israel does not end its offensive on Gaza.
A strong military force backed by Iran, Hezbollah has been engaging Israeli forces along the Lebanon-Israel border in its worst escalation since it went to war with Israel in 2006.
“We are ready for all possibilities,” Hezbollah leader Syed Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address, speaking for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war broke out.
Blaming the US for the war in Gaza, he said the high civilian death toll and expansion into the besieged enclave was crucial to prevent regional war.
“You Americans can stop the occupation of Gaza because it is your occupation. Those who want to prevent a regional war, I am talking to the Americans, must quickly stop the occupation of Gaza,” Nasrallah said.
[1/12]Palestinians gather at the scene of Israeli attacks on homes in Makassi, central Gaza Strip, on November 3, 2023. Obtain licensing rights
He said Hezbollah has not been intimidated by US naval firepower in the Washington region since the crisis erupted.
A further escalation between Israel and his group-Hamas ally on the Lebanese border, Nasrallah said, is what has happened in the Gaza Strip, which has been under attack by Israeli forces since Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7.
Nasrallah’s comments coincided with a visit to Israel by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who said the US was determined not to have a second or third front in the conflict.
Speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv following meetings with Israeli leaders, Blinken said Washington was committed to deterring aggression from any party.
He appealed to Israel to take action to protect civilians in Gaza as its forces continued to bomb the Palestinian territory and the death toll among residents rose.
The Israeli military said its troops were fighting close combat with Hamas militants in the desolate streets after encircling Gaza City in an attempt to destroy the Islamist group, which controls the small, densely populated enclave.
Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza, Ali Sawafta, Dan Williams, Emily Rose in Ramallah, Mytal Angel in Jerusalem, Clada Danios, Patricia Zengerle in Dubai, Phil Stewart and Idris Ali in Washington; Additional reporting by Reuters Bureau Worldwide; Written by Michael Perry and Angus MacSwan; Editing by Mirel Fahmy, Andrew Cawthorne and Mark Heinrich
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