A senior American official said that the United States is deeply concerned about an escalation on the Israeli-Lebanese border leading to an all-out war, after Hezbollah carried out a major attack on northern Israel.
The American official added that there is a need for specific security arrangements for the region, and that the ceasefire in Gaza is not enough.
Today, Thursday, Hezbollah launched its largest and most extensive attack on Israel since October 8, when it began its operations in support of the resistance in Gaza.
The party said that it carried out “a combined attack with missiles and drones, in response to the assassination carried out by the Zionist enemy in the town of Joya.”
For its part, Israel held Hezbollah, Iran, and the Lebanese government “full responsibility” for the escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli border, and hinted that an escalation may be being planned.
Israeli government spokesman David Mincer said, “Lebanon and Hezbollah, under the guidance of Iran, bear full responsibility for the deteriorating security situation in the north.”
He added, “Whether through diplomatic efforts or otherwise, Israel will restore security on our northern borders.”
Expansion of the war
In the same context, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein warned of the danger of expanding the conflict in southern Lebanon, during a press conference with his Iranian counterpart, who renewed Tehran’s rejection of a regional war.
Fouad Hussein said Thursday at his ministry headquarters in Baghdad, “The expansion of the war is a danger not only to Lebanon but also to the entire region,” stressing that “an attack on southern Lebanon” would “affect the entire region.”
In turn, Acting Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri considered that “the Zionist entity may seek, due to its failure in Gaza, to commit other mistakes and even expand the scope of its aggression.”
On the other hand, a draft final statement scheduled to be issued after the G7 summit this week stated that the group’s leaders will express their deep concern about the situation on the Israeli-Lebanese border and their support for American efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The statement added that the group’s leaders reaffirmed their firm commitment to the two-state solution so that Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace side by side.
In addition, they will call on Israel to refrain from launching a large-scale attack on the city of Rafah “in line with its obligations under international law.”
Since the eighth of last October, Palestinian and Lebanese factions in Lebanon, most notably Hezbollah, have exchanged daily bombardments with the Israeli army across the Blue Line, resulting in hundreds being killed and wounded, most of them on the Lebanese side.
The factions say they stand in solidarity with Gaza, which has been exposed to an Israeli war since October 7 that has left more than 122,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing amid deadly famine and massive destruction.