The war between Israel and Hamas has continued since October 7, 2023 (data map)
Hezbollah’s leader said on Tuesday that ending the war in Gaza was key to ending hostilities on the Lebanese border and blamed foreign efforts to end cross-border violence for Israel’s benefit.
Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech that “when the attacks on Gaza stop and a ceasefire is achieved, the fires in southern Lebanon will also stop” but warned: “If they (Israel) expand the confrontation, we will Take action the same.”
Since the war between Israel and the Palestinian organization Hamas broke out in the Gaza Strip on October 7, Hezbollah militants have exchanged fire with Israel almost every day.
There are growing fears of another all-out conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border and heightening regional tensions.
Late last month, Defense Minister Yoav Galant said Israeli forces would “soon take action in the north of the country near the border with Lebanon.”
Beirut has seen a flurry of diplomatic activity in recent weeks, with foreign ministers from Germany, France and the United Kingdom visiting in an effort to ease tensions.
Nasrallah said “all the delegations that have come to Lebanon over the past four months… have only one goal: the security of Israel, the protection of Israel” and the return of displaced northern Israeli residents to their homes.
French Foreign Minister Stephane Séjourne said on Monday he made the “proposal” during his recent visit to Lebanon.
France plans to withdraw Hezbollah fighters 10 to 12 kilometers (six to seven miles) from the border, several diplomatic sources told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“Let no one think that Lebanon is weak and afraid, or that they can impose conditions” including the withdrawal of Hezbollah fighters, Nasrallah said.
He warned that if Israel decides to launch a war against Lebanon, those displaced from northern Israel “will not return” and that Israeli officials should “prepare shelters, hotels, schools and tents for the two million displaced people.”
Last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz warned that “time is running out” to reach a diplomatic solution in southern Lebanon.
If a diplomatic solution cannot be reached, “Israel will take military action to return evacuated citizens” to its northern border areas, he said.
According to an AFP tally, cross-border violence has killed at least 243 people on the Lebanese side since the war between Israel and Hamas began, mostly Hezbollah fighters but also including 30 civilians.
According to the Israeli military, nine soldiers and six civilians were killed on the Israeli side.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
