Israel has warned Lebanon that it would strike the country forcefully, including civilian infrastructure such as Beirut airport, if Hezbollah becomes involved in any potential US-Iran war, two senior Lebanese officials said on Tuesday.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel delivered the message indirectly. The offices of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Lebanese presidency did not immediately comment.
US-Iran talks raise conflict concerns
Iran and the United States are set to hold a third round of nuclear talks on Thursday in Geneva, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi announced on Sunday, amid growing fears of possible military escalation.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam urged Hezbollah not to drag Lebanon into “another adventure”, in an interview published on Tuesday. His government has sought to disarm the Iran-backed group since taking office a year ago.
Hezbollah signals it is ‘not neutral’
Israel inflicted heavy losses on Hezbollah during the 2024 war, killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah, thousands of fighters and destroying much of its arsenal.
Hezbollah, founded in 1982 by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, has remained a central force in Lebanon’s political and military landscape.
Its new leader, Naim Qassem, said last month that the group is “not neutral” in the standoff between Washington and Tehran and described Hezbollah as a target of any potential aggression.
“We are determined to defend ourselves. We will choose in due course how to act, whether to intervene or not,” Qassem said in a televised address.
Lebanon wary after previous war
Hezbollah’s last war with Israel began in 2023, when it opened fire in solidarity with Hamas at the start of the Gaza conflict. Months of cross-border clashes followed before Israel launched a major offensive.
“The Gaza adventure imposed a big cost on Lebanon. We hope that we will not be dragged into another adventure,” Salam told Nida al-Watan newspaper.
The US State Department has begun withdrawing non-essential staff and eligible family members from the US embassy in Beirut, a senior official confirmed on Monday.
Ceasefire fragile despite army deployment
Since a US-backed ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon in 2024, Israel has carried out regular strikes on what it says are Hezbollah targets, accusing the group of attempting to rearm.
According to Lebanese figures, Israeli strikes have killed around 400 people in Lebanon since the ceasefire. Hezbollah maintains that it has respected the truce in southern Lebanon.
In January, the US-backed Lebanese army said it had established operational control over the south in a move aimed at securing a state monopoly on arms. Israel described the effort as an encouraging start but insufficient.
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