Lebanon’s prime minister warned on Wednesday in a message that appeared to be aimed at Iran-backed Hezbollah that any move that could plunge the country into a new round of fighting between Iran, the United States and Israel would be a warning.
“Faced with the risk of renewed war in the region, I again warn of the danger of dragging Lebanon into a new senseless adventure in the service of external interests,” Nawaf Salam said on Wednesday, without explicitly mentioning Hezbollah.
South Lebanon has been the main frontline in interconnected regional conflicts, with fighting between Iran’s Hezbollah allies and Israeli forces causing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes and killing nearly 9,000 since October 7, 2023, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Hezbollah has long been a powerful political and paramilitary force in the country, launching attacks on the Jewish state in support of Hamas after the 2023 terrorist attacks triggered the war in Gaza, and then launching rockets and missiles in support of Iran after a joint U.S.-Israeli attack began on February 28, drawing Lebanon directly into a war with Israel.
The conflict in Lebanon has proven to be a major sticking point in negotiations between the United States and Iran, as Tehran has refused to reach any peace deal with Washington that did not end fighting in Lebanon and Gaza.
The fragile ceasefire agreement reached by Israel and Hezbollah in June has halted most large-scale fighting between the two sides, but Israeli troops still occupy large areas of southern Lebanon and sporadic attacks have been carried out by both sides.
“We will not accept that the country will once again become an arena for conflicts in other countries,” Salam added. Lebanon, he said, “has paid a heavy price.”
President Trump had repeatedly threatened to renew attacks on Iran ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, but after the election results were announced on Tuesday night, he told the Financial Times that he had no immediate plans to order an attack.
CBS/AFP