HEZBOLLAH WILL BE JOINED BY IRAN'S PROXIES IN IRAQ, SYRIA AND YEMEN IF IT IS ATTACKED BY ISRAEL, SO THREATENS IRAN

Iran threatens ‘obliterating war’ if IDF attacks Hezbollah

"All options are on the table," warned Iran's mission to the United Nations. 

 

JNS

Jun 20, 2024

 

 

Yemen's Houthis display their military might

 

Iran threatened on Saturday that an Israeli military operation against Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon could lead to an “obliterating war” with all of Tehran’s proxies, adding that “all options are on the table.”

The threat, posted to the account of Iran’s mission to the United Nations, added that the Islamic Republic regards the Israel Defense Forces’ declaration that it has approved the military operation against Hezbollah as “psychological warfare.”

Hezbollah has attacked Israel nearly every day since joining the war in support of Hamas on Oct. 8, firing thousands of rockets, anti-tank missiles and suicide drones at Israeli towns, killing more than 20 people and causing widespread damage. Tens of thousands of Israeli civilians remain internally displaced due to the ongoing violence.

On Thursday night, Hezbollah launched 40 rockets towards northern Israel, setting off air-raid sirens in the Upper Galilee city of Safed. The Upper Galilee Regional Council said a home in one of its communities sustained damage in the barrage, and power outages were reported.

Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service said it worked to extinguish fires sparked by the projectiles, half of which were downed by air-defense systems. One woman was reportedly injured while running for shelter.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported on Sunday that American and European diplomats continue to press Hezbollah to cease its attacks.

Mediators reportedly warned the terror organization it should not rely on the United States or other countries being able to hold off Israel if Jerusalem decides to move forward with the operation in Lebanon, and that Hezbollah should not assume it has the ability to take on the Israel Defense Forces.

During meetings in Washington last week, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stressed that while Israel prefers a diplomatic solution, it will take whatever action is required to restore security to the north.

“We do not want war, but we are preparing for every scenario,” Gallant stated following the meetings. Jerusalem has emphasized that any deal “will not be an agreement on paper” but must include “the physical removal of Hezbollah from the border, and we will have to enforce it.”

In a video statement published last week, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed to fight the Jewish state “without restraints, without rules, without limits” should war be “imposed” on Lebanon. He has also threatened that an “invasion of the Galilee remains on the table.”

In related news, the Arab League announced over the weekend that it will no longer refer to Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, reversing a 2016 decision and enabling the renewal of contacts with the Iran proxy.

“The Arab League does not maintain official terrorist lists, and our efforts do not include labeling entities as terrorist organizations,” Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki told Cairo’s Al Qahera TV.

On Friday, Lebanese press reported that Zaki held a meeting with Hezbollah MP Muhammad Raad, in what was described as the terror group’s first tête-à-tête with an Arab League official in over a decade.