Iran to back Hezbollah in case of all-out Israeli war
An adviser to Iran’s Leader warned that if Israel launches an all-out offensive against Hezbollah resistance movement in Lebanon, it would risk triggering a regional war in which Tehran and the “axis of resistance” would support the Lebanese movement with “all means”.
Kamal Kharrazi, foreign affairs adviser to Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, told the Financial Times that the Islamic republic was “not interested” in a regional war and urged the US to put pressure on Israel to prevent further escalation.
But asked if Iran would support Hezbollah militarily in the event of a full-blown conflict, Kharrazi said: “All Lebanese people, Arab countries and members of the axis of resistance will support Lebanon against Israel.”
“There would be a chance of expansion of the war to the whole region, in which all countries including Iran would become engaged,” he said in an interview. “In that situation, we would have no choice, but to support Hezbollah by all means.”
He added: “The expansion of war is not in the interest of anyone — not Iran or the US.”
Since the beginning of Israel’s onslaught on the Gaza Strip in October, Hezbollah has traded almost daily cross-border fire with Israel. Fears of a full-blown war grew this month after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was preparing for “a very tense operation” on the border with Lebanon.
Iran’s mission to the UN on Friday warned of an “obliterating war” if Israel launched an offensive against Hezbollah, saying “all options” were on the table.
“All options, [including] the full involvement of all Resistance Fronts, are on the table,” the mission wrote in a post on X.
It also called Israel’s threats to attack Hezbollah in Lebanon “psychological warfare” and “propaganda”.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has also threatened a war with “no restraint and no rules and no ceilings” in case of a major Israeli offensive against Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s strikes started on 8 October, the day after the Hamas attack on Israel. The group has said the campaign, in support for Palestinians amid Israel’s war on Gaza, will stop only when there is a cease-fire in Gaza.
Most of the violence has remained contained to areas along the border, although Israeli strikes have increasingly hit targets deeper into Lebanon. Hezbollah attacks have also reached far into Israel. So far, more than 400 people have been reported killed in Lebanon, the vast majority Hezbollah fighters, and 25 in Israel, mostly soldiers.