Hezbollah says wider Mideast war possible if Gaza assault continues
Israel did not stop its assault on Gaza then the conflict could widen into a regional war.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in his first speech since the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7, also threatened the U.S., Israel's main ally, hinting his Iran-backed paramilitary group was ready to confront U.S.
warships in the Mediterranean.
A heavily armed military force and ally of Palestinian Hamas militants, Hezbollah has been engaging Israeli forces along the Lebanon-Israel border in the deadliest escalation since it fought a war with Israel in 2006.
«We are ready for all possibilities,» Nasrallah said in a televised speech. «Whoever wants to prevent a regional war, and I am talking to the Americans, must quickly halt the aggression on Gaza.»
He added Hezbollah did not fear the U.S.
naval firepower Washington has assembled in the region since the crisis erupted.
«You, the Americans, know very well that if war breaks out in the region, your fleets will be of no use, nor will fighting from the air be of any benefit, and the one who will pay the price will be… your interests, your soldiers and your fleets,» he said.
Nasrallah said that further escalation along the Lebanese border between Israel and his group was contingent on what happened in the Gaza Strip, under assault by Israeli forces since Hamas attacked Israel four weeks ago.
In Washington, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said it was aware of Nasrallah's speech but would not engage in «a war of words». Hezbollah and other state and non-state actors should not try to take advantage of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the spokesperson said.
Nasrallah's remarks coincided with a visit to Israel by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken,
