Israel threatens to 'destroy' Lebanon if Iran-backed Hezbollah joins conflict

A firefight between the Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah and the armed forces in northern Israel has raised concerns that the conflict in Gaza may expand to other parts of the region. According to media reports, Israel has threatened to ‘destroy’ Lebanon if Iran-backed Hezbollah joins the conflict. The possibility of an Israeli ground operation in the northern Gaza Strip could lead to the involvement of additional regional actors, potentially including Hezbollah and Iran, according to analysts. More than a million people have fled their homes in the Gaza Strip ahead of an expected Israeli retaliation that seeks to eliminate Hamas’ leadership after its deadly incursion. Aid groups warn an Israeli ground offensive could hasten a humanitarian crisis. Israeli forces, supported by U.S. warships, positioned themselves along Gaza’s border and drilled for what Israel said would be a broad campaign to dismantle the militant group. A week of blistering airstrikes has demolished neighbourhoods but failed to stop militant rocket fire into Israel. The war that began October 7 has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides, with more than 4,000 dead. The Gaza Health Ministry said 2,750 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 wounded. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed, and at least 199 others, including children, were captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza, according to Israel. Iran’s foreign minister on Saturday called on Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza, warning that the war might expand to other parts of the Middle East if Hezbollah joins the battle, and that would make Israel suffer “a huge earthquake.” Hossein Amirabdollahian told reporters in Beirut that Lebanon’s Hezbollah group has taken all the scenarios of a war into consideration and that Israel should stop its attacks on Gaza as soon as possible. Israel considers Hezbollah its most serious immediate threat, estimating it has some 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles that can hit anywhere in Israel. The group, which has thousands of battle-hardened fighters who participated in Syria’s 12-year conflict, also has different types of military drones. Hezbollah fighters have been on full alert along Lebanon’s borders with Israel following last Saturday’s attack by the militant Palestinian group Hamas that left hundreds of Israeli civilians and soldiers dead. With inputs from agencies.