Hezbollah said to tell Tehran it would not drag Iran into fight if war with Israel erupts

Hezbollah has reportedly told its main backer Iran that it would fight a war against Israel on its own if the conflict escalates and not drag Tehran into the conflict, Reuters reports.

According to the report, citing seven sources, the head of Iran’s Quds Force visited Beirut in February to discuss the risk posed if Israel launched a full-scale assault on Hezbollah.

In Beirut, Quds chief Esmail Qaani met Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, the sources said, for at least the third time since Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attacks on southern Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.

The conversation turned to the possibility of a full Israeli offensive to its north, in Lebanon, the sources said. As well as damaging the Shi’ite Islamist group, such an escalation could pressure Iran to react more forcefully than it has so far since Oct. 7, three of the sources, Iranians within the inner circle of power, said.

At the previously unreported meeting, Nasrallah reassured Qaani he didn’t want Iran to get sucked into a war with Israel or the United States and that Hezbollah would fight on its own, all the sources said.

“This is our fight,” Nasrallah told Qaani, said one Iranian source with knowledge of the discussions.

Israel has repeatedly warned that it will no longer tolerate Hezbollah on its northern border and says it will launch an offensive if diplomatic efforts fail.

Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there. So far, the skirmishes on the border have resulted in seven civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of ten IDF soldiers and reservists.

There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries. Hezbollah has named 244 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 41 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and at least 30 civilians, three of whom were journalists, have been killed.

Source » timesofisrael.com