US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that neither Israel, nor the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, nor Iran, which supports it, are interested in a new war in the Middle East, but it could break out against their will.
⠀
“None of the main players really want war. Israel doesn’t want war. I don’t believe Hezbollah wants war. Lebanon definitely doesn’t want war because it will be its main victim. I don’t believe Iran wants war – partly because he does not want Hezbollah to be destroyed,” he said.
⠀
On the other hand, according to Blinken, there is inertia that is pushing the region towards a new war, and the United States is trying to stop it.
⠀
Earlier it became known that a large-scale clash between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement could take place within the next few weeks if the Israeli side and the Palestinian Hamas movement do not reach a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip.
⠀
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on June 18 announced the approval of combat plans for an offensive in Lebanon. After this, the country’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz threatened the destruction of Hezbollah and serious damage to Lebanon in the event of a full-scale war, adding that Israel is close to the moment of making a decision that will change the rules on the northern front. In turn, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrullah said on June 19 that the movement could invade northern Israel if the confrontation further intensifies.
⠀
The situation on the Israeli-Lebanese border worsened after the start of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip in October 2023. The Israeli army and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters daily fire at each other’s positions in areas along the border. According to the Lebanese Foreign Ministry, about 100 thousand people were forced to leave their homes in southern Lebanon due to Israeli shelling. The Israeli side reported about 80 thousand residents of northern Israel who found themselves in a similar situation.
