Iran will support Hezbollah with ‘all means’ if Israel expands war on Lebanon: Official
The Cradle, July 2, 2024 —
Israel continues to threaten a full-scale invasion of Lebanon as it trades fire with Hezbollah in the border regions.
An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader warned that if Israel launches an all-out offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran and the “axis of resistance” would support the Lebanese resistance movement with “all means,” the Financial Times (FT) reported on 2 July.
Kamal Kharrazi, foreign affairs adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told the FT that Iran was “not interested” in a regional war and asked the US to exert pressure to reign in Israel.
Israeli leaders have made bellicose threats to invade Lebanon for months. The threats, such as destroying Beirut in the way Israeli forces have largely destroyed Gaza, have increased in frequency in recent weeks.
On 18 June, the army approved a war plan for a possible invasion of Lebanon.
When asked if Iran would support Hezbollah militarily in the event of a full-blown war with Israel, Kharrazi said, “All Lebanese people, Arab countries, and members of the axis of resistance will support Lebanon against Israel.”
The Axis of Resistance is comprised of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Ansarallah in Yemen, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran.
“There would be a chance of expansion of the war to the whole region, in which all countries, including Iran, would become engaged,” Kharrazi said.
“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.”
Hezbollah has traded almost daily cross-border fire with Israel since 8 October, the day after Israel’s war on Gaza began. However, the conflict remains largely limited to areas near the Lebanese–Israeli border.
In response to Israeli threats of a full-scale invasion, Iran’s mission to the UN on Friday warned of an “obliterating war,” saying “all options’‘ were on the table.