US to 'intervene militarily' if Hezbollah, Iran attack Israel: Report
The United States (US) government has warned Iran and Hezbollah—the Lebanese terror group backed by it—that it will "intervene militarily" if they attacked Israel, reported The New York Times. This came after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah mocked the US and its ally Israel, claiming the outfit was not afraid of American warships. Notably, this was also Nasrallah's first public speech after the Israel-Hamas war broke out last month.
Why does this story matter?
Hezbollah and Israel have launched missile attacks and artillery fire against each other at the latter's northern border since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the south on October 7. Hezbollah has shown solidarity toward the Palestinian cause since it engaged in a war in 2006 with Israel. Moreover, if the war sees an escalation now and the US jumps in to back its Jewish ally against Iran, it might trigger a much bigger conflict in the region.
All you need to know about Hezbollah
Hezbollah is a Shiite political party and a powerful terror group in Lebanon that has gained a reputation as "a state within a state." It was founded by Shia groups in 1982, the same year Israel invaded Lebanon. Hezbollah was created with the assistance of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Iranian armed forces' primary branch, on the model given by Ayatollah Khomeini after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
Antony Blinken's diplomatic visit to Middle-East
Meanwhile, amid Israel's offensive against Palestinian terror group Hamas in Gaza, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarked on a diplomatic visit to several Middle Eastern countries. The top US diplomat reportedly met leaders in the region, including the West Bank, the Palestinian territory under Israeli occupation from 1967. While Palestine's President Mahmud Abbas labeled Israel's offensive as genocide, other Arab leaders accused it of committing war crimes. Furthermore, Blinken also agreed that Palestinians shouldn't be removed from Gaza forcefully.
Netanyahu vetoes ceasefire calls in Gaza
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vetoed calls for a ceasefire until the Palestinian terrorist group releases its hostages. Israel has been carrying out widespread strikes on Hamas's infrastructure, both above and below the ground. The Israeli PM also stated that the Jewish nation will continue its offensive in Gaza until Hamas is defeated and that their allies and enemies should remove "ceasefire" from their lexicon.
Blinken's earlier comments on ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war
During a joint news conference on Saturday with Blinken, Arab ministers condemned Israel's war tactics in Gaza and called for a ceasefire. But Blinken stated that a ceasefire now would only allow Hamas to regroup and attack Israel. However, he did convey the US's support for "humanitarian pauses" to allow the flow of aid and transit of foreign nationals from the war-torn region to Egypt.
