BEIRUT: A Hezbollah official told AFP on Wednesday that the Lebanese movement would not intervene militarily in the event of “limited” US strikes on Iran, but would consider any attack against supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a “red line”.
The US has repeatedly threatened Iran over its contentious nuclear programme, and Lebanese authorities fear Hezbollah could become involved if a potential US attack triggered a regional war.
But the official told AFP on condition of anonymity: “In the event of limited US strikes on Iran, Hezbollah’s position will be to not intervene militarily.”
If the group determines, however, that the United States is trying to “provoke the downfall of the Iranian regime or to target the supreme leader, Hezbollah will then intervene”, they added.
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The official predicted that in a hypothetical scenario where the US attempted to militarily unseat the Iranian government, US-ally Israel would “inevitably wage a war against Lebanon”.
US President Donald Trump has deployed warships and fighter jets near Iran to back up his threats of strikes should ongoing negotiations between the two sides fail to secure a deal.
Lebanon’s foreign minister said Tuesday that the government feared Israeli attacks on civilian infrastructure if Hezbollah – which still has an arsenal of ballistic missiles – became part of a regional conflict between the US and Iran.
“What the Lebanese fear is a chain reaction: an American strike against Iran, a Hezbollah retaliatory strike against Israel, followed by a massive Israeli response,” said a Lebanese official who requested anonymity.
Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, has said that his group is in a “defensive position”, but it would consider itself “targeted” by any US attack on Iran.
During the 12-day war between Israel and Iran last June, which the US later joined, Hezbollah did not intervene.
Hezbollah emerged weakened from over a year of war with Israel that a November 2024 ceasefire sought to halt.
Despite the agreement, Israel has continued striking targets it says are linked to Hezbollah on a near-daily basis, saying it is enforcing ceasefire provisions against the group rearming.
Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have protested the attacks as ceasefire violations.
The official speaking to AFP stressed that Hezbollah was refraining from responding to the strikes, but that its restraint “has limits”.
“Israeli attacks cannot continue indefinitely without a response.”
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