Latest news with #LebanonConflict
Free Malaysia Today
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
‘Very bad decision' if Hezbollah joins Iran-Israel war, says US official
Hezbollah was severely weakened by the war with Israel, losing senior figures, thousands of fighters, and strategic sites in southern Lebanon. (AP pic) BEIRUT : A top US official visiting the Lebanese capital on Thursday discouraged Tehran-backed armed group Hezbollah from intervening in the war between Iran and Israel, saying it would be a 'very bad decision'. US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack, who also serves as ambassador to Turkey, met Lebanese officials in Beirut as Iran and Israel traded more strikes in their days-long war and as the US continues to press Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah. After meeting Lebanon's speaker of parliament Nabih Berri, a close ally of Hezbollah, Barrack was asked what may happen if Hezbollah joined in the regional conflict. 'I can say on behalf of President (Donald) Trump, which he has been very clear in expressing as has special envoy (Steve) Witkoff: that would be a very, very, very bad decision,' Barrack told reporters. Hezbollah has condemned Israel's strikes on Iran and expressed full solidarity with its leadership. On Thursday, it said threats against Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would have 'dire consequences'. But the group has stopped short of making explicit threats to intervene. After Israel began strikes on Iran last week, a Hezbollah official told Reuters the group would not launch its own attack on Israel in response. Hezbollah was left badly weakened from last year's war with Israel, in which the group's leadership was gutted, thousands of fighters were killed and strongholds in southern Lebanon and near Beirut were severely damaged. A US-brokered ceasefire deal which ended that war stipulates that the Lebanese government must ensure there are no arms outside state control. Barrack also met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday and discussed the state's monopoly on all arms. Barrack is a private equity executive who has long advised Trump and chaired his inaugural presidential committee in 2016. He was appointed to his role in Turkey and, in late May, also assumed the position of special envoy to Syria.
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Hezbollah watches on as Iran and Israel battle, for now
Beirut, Lebanon – When Israel attacked Lebanon in September 2024, Fatima Kandil left her home in Beirut's southern suburbs, known colloquially as Dahiyeh. As the area sustained wide-scale Israeli air strikes, many Lebanese fled Dahiyeh for other parts of the country or, like Kandil, sought refuge in Iraq. Nearly seven months after the November ceasefire between Israel and the armed Lebanese group Hezbollah – an agreement Lebanon says Israel has repeatedly violated – rockets are lighting up the night sky once again. But this time, Hezbollah is not involved. Instead, Israel and Iran are exchanging direct military attacks. 'We don't know how this will all end, so we are undoubtedly tense,' Kandil, now back in Lebanon, told Al Jazeera. However, she added that she had a feeling of satisfaction seeing missiles rain down on Israel. 'Our revenge is being taken,' she said. While Kandil's sentiment is shared by some in Lebanon, others – those who see Iran's support for Hezbollah, a group that has dominated Lebanon militarily and politically for two decades, as nefarious – cheered on the Israeli attacks against Iran. Many people in Lebanon told Al Jazeera they hoped that stability would prevail and that their country wouldn't be dragged back into a prolonged conflict or subjected to the ferocity and frequency of the Israeli attacks it suffered last year. 'People are taking precautions,' Karim Safieddine, a Lebanese political writer and academic, told Al Jazeera. 'Some are readying their bags.' Early Friday, Israel struck Iran and assassinated several top commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) along with top nuclear scientists. Numerous civilians were also killed, including children, according to Iranian state media. Hours later, Hezbollah released a statement condemning the Israeli attacks and offering condolences for the slain Iranian officers. But analysts say the statement was a clear sign that Hezbollah would not be entering the battle in support of Iran. 'Currently, there is no need for Hezbollah to intervene, as Iranian missiles are capable of confronting the Israeli occupation,' said Qassem Kassir, a Lebanese political analyst supportive of the group. 'However, if the situation escalates into a full-scale war, nothing prevents the situation from changing.' Hezbollah, founded amid the Lebanese civil war in 1982 with Iranian backing and funding, draws much of its support from Lebanon's Shia Muslim community. The group began firing rockets at Israel on October 8, 2023, after the start of Israel's war on Gaza. Israeli attacks in Lebanon between October 2023 and November 2024 largely targeted areas where Shia live, killing around 4,000 civilians and fighters, according to Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health. Many Lebanese are still reeling from the damage left by Israel's attacks. Some remain displaced from their villages in southern Lebanon, which was razed. Hezbollah's priority is to ensure that homes and towns are built in the area. While Israel is still hitting targets around the country, mostly in southern Lebanon but occasionally in the Beirut suburbs as well, any resumption of military activity by Hezbollah would likely draw an even more intense Israeli response and further disrupt reconstruction efforts. Much of Hezbollah's military arsenal was reportedly destroyed during the Israeli attacks, though analysts believe they have retained some arms, including ballistic missiles. Still, Hezbollah's lack of intervention in the current Israel-Iran conflict is 'evidence of their lack of capacity', Safieddine said. Hezbollah may not have the means to intervene militarily. The Israeli campaign on Lebanon also left Hezbollah's political leadership battered. Many of the group's most senior military figures, including longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, were assassinated. The group's political hegemony is now being challenged by the Lebanese state, with pressure from the United States and Israel, as it moves to disarm Hezbollah and bring the use of force under the state's exclusive authority. For now, analysts believe there is a consensus and understanding between Tehran and Hezbollah that the group will not intervene. 'Domestic political circumstances make it extremely difficult for Hezbollah to join in Iranian retaliation,' Nicholas Blanford, a nonresident senior fellow with the US-based think tank Atlantic Council, told Al Jazeera. 'And the Iranians recognise they can't call on them.' While Hezbollah is sometimes referred to as an Iranian proxy, many experts say the group is more accurately described as a close ally of the IRGC and the Iranian government with shared interests and a similar ideology. During Israel's heavy bombardment of Lebanon between September and November 2024, Iran's intervention was relatively limited. Israel invaded southern Lebanon, and while Israeli troops have pulled out of most of the Lebanese territory they entered during the war, they still occupy five points. 'There's resentment and unhappiness toward Iran by Hezbollah because they feel Iran let them down in the recent conflict,' Blanford said. Iran reportedly asked Hezbollah not to use some of its more lethal weapons, which analysts linked to fears of an Israeli response on Iranian territory. As for Israel's attacks on Iran, there's no indication that Tehran has asked Hezbollah to get involved yet, according to Kassir, the analyst thought to be close to Hezbollah. But that might change if a protracted war draws in actors from around the region. Blanford said he doesn't expect to 'see Hezbollah joining in full scale', but noted that if Israel starts to struggle in its fight against Iran, it could lead to 'some activity along the Blue Line', the line traversing Lebanon's southern border. If that happens, Blanford said, Hezbollah may look to carry out operations in the Israeli-occupied areas of Lebanon. Israel's plans for Lebanon and Hezbollah remain unclear, but the sound of Israeli drones, an ever-present buzz during the most severe days of the war, has returned to Beirut's skies in the last few days. 'I wouldn't rule out [Hezbollah's intervention] entirely,' said Blanford. 'But for now, it looks like they will stand on the sidelines and keep an eagle eye on what is going on.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
6 days ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanon Takes Decisive Stand on Neutrality, Urges Hezbollah to Comply
In the wake of Israeli airstrikes on Iran, Lebanese officials have taken a unified and firm stance to distance the country from regional escalation. The leadership moved swiftly to contain any fallout, stressing that Lebanon must not be drawn into a new conflict. Iran-backed Hezbollah, while condemning the Israeli strikes and accusing Tel Aviv of crossing 'red lines,' issued a statement notably free of any threats or promises of retaliation. This restraint marks a shift from the group's more assertive stances in past regional confrontations. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday cut short his visit to the Vatican and returned to Beirut. In a statement, he condemned the Israeli strikes on Iran, calling them a direct threat to regional stability and international efforts to preserve peace in the Middle East. He urged the international community to act swiftly to prevent Israel from achieving its 'clear and dangerous' objectives. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam echoed the president's concerns, describing the Israeli action as a 'blatant violation of international law and Iran's sovereignty.' Speaking after a high-level security meeting with key ministers and the army commander, Salam stressed the importance of maintaining internal stability amid rising regional tensions. According to sources speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, the Lebanese government conveyed a 'firm and final' message to Hezbollah through the army leadership: Lebanon must not be dragged into a broader conflict. The state condemned the Israeli strikes but rejected any response that would endanger national stability. Government sources indicated that Hezbollah appears to be adhering to this directive, at least for now. A source close to Hezbollah confirmed that the group would not initiate any action against Israel in response to the Iran strikes, framing the situation as an international issue in which Lebanon should not interfere. 'If Lebanon is attacked, the state is responsible,' the source said. Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri also condemned the Israeli assault, warning of its potential to destabilize the region and urging the international community to take a firm stand 'before it's too late.'
The National
30-05-2025
- General
- The National
Israeli attacks kill two people in southern Lebanon
At least two people have been killed in a wave of Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, the country's National News Agency has reported. A drone strike killed a civilian while he was pumping water, local authorities said, and Israeli gunfire in the border town of Kfar Kila killed another civilian. The casualties late on Thursday night underscore a deeply unstable situation in south Lebanon, where daily attacks continue to be carried out despite the ceasefire Israel agreed with Hezbollah in November. Mahmoud Atwi was fixing a well that provided several neighbourhoods with water in Nabatiye El Faouqa when he was attacked, according to the municipality's mayor, Zein Ghandour. He said Mr Atwi was employed by the municipality and was killed while carrying out his work. The Israeli army claimed it struck 'a Hezbollah terrorist', alleging he was working to restore a site used to manage the group's 'fire and defence array'. The military later said it hit 'several military sites throughout Lebanon' belonging to Hezbollah, accusing the group of trying to reestablish its weaponry there. It did not immediately comment on the shooting in Kfar Kila. Israeli troops continue to occupy five areas of Lebanese territory, despite the ceasefire agreement which mandates their withdrawal. Lebanon has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire more than 3,000 times. Vast swathes of south Lebanon lie in ruins from the bombardment, which has continued since last year. A low-level border conflict with Hezbollah, which broke out in parallel to Israel's war with Hamas, erupted in September when Israel invaded, killing more than 4,000 people. Many Hezbollah leaders were among them and large parts of the country were left in ruins.
Arab News
27-05-2025
- General
- Arab News
Israeli strike on south Lebanon kills one: ministry
The ministry said an 'Israeli enemy strike' on a motorcycle killed one man in YaterThe Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attackBEIRUT: Lebanon's health ministry said an Israeli strike on south Lebanon killed one man on Tuesday, the latest attack despite a ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed a statement, the ministry said an 'Israeli enemy strike' on a motorcycle killed one man in Yater, in south Lebanon's Bint Jbeil Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attack, which came after it said it killed a Hezbollah member in south Lebanon's Majdal Zoun on has continued to launch strikes on its northern neighbor despite the November truce that sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, including two months of full-blown the terms of the ceasefire deal, only UN peacekeepers and the Lebanese army should be deployed in southern Lebanon, though Israel has kept its forces in five areas it has declared has called on the international community to pressure Israel to end its attacks and withdraw all its troops.
