Iran's Foreign Minister meets Hezbollah leader amid escalating Israel-Lebanon border conflict

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held a meeting with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday amid the ongoing cross-border fire with Israel since the start of the Gaza war. The border between Lebanon and Israel has witnessed escalating exchanges of fire, involving Israel, Iran-backed Hezbollah, and Palestinian groups since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7. The exchanges of fire have sparked concerns of a broader conflict. Hezbollah’s statement, according to AFP, mentioned that Amir-Abdollahian and Nasrallah discussed recent developments in Palestine, Lebanon, and the region. They also addressed efforts to halt Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip. Following the meeting, Amir-Abdollahian, who had previously warned of the potential escalation of the conflict, departed for Doha, as reported by Iran’s Nour news agency. Hezbollah claimed on Thursday to have launched 48 Katyusha rockets at a military base near Safed in northern Israel, approximately 10 kilometers from the border. It said it also carried out at least 10 other attacks on Israeli positions near the frontier, and claimed to have caused casualties. In response, the Israeli army shelled several locations in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. Hezbollah maintains that it has been supporting Hamas since the latter’s attacks on Israel began on October 7. Israeli officials report 1,200 casualties, mostly civilians, and about 240 people taken hostage. Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, with its offensive in the Gaza Strip allegedly causing over 14,000 deaths, including thousands of children, according to the Hamas government. With inputs from agencies