Iran's foreign minister called on Israel to halt its attacks on Gaza on Saturday, saying that if Hezbollah enters the fight, the conflict might spread to other regions of the Middle East, causing Israel to face "a huge earthquake," news agency Associated Press reported. Hossein Amirabdollahian told reporters in Beirut that Lebanon's Hezbollah organisation has considered all conflict scenarios and that Israel should cease attacking Gaza as soon as possible.
Hezbollah is Israel's most significant immediate danger, with an estimated 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles capable of striking anyplace in Israel. The group, which includes thousands of battle-hardened warriors from Syria's 12-year struggle, also has several sorts of military drones.
Following last Saturday's attack by the terrorist Palestinian organisation Hamas, which killed hundreds of Israeli citizens and troops, Hezbollah militants have been on high alert throughout Lebanon's borders with Israel.
The Israeli military said on Saturday that an Israeli drone attack near the border with Lebanon killed a "cell" attempting to infiltrate Israel. Hezbollah said on Friday that its militants launched numerous missiles at four Israeli locations near the border.
Hezbollah gunmen launched a volley of rockets and mortars against Israeli positions in the contested Chebaa Farms on Saturday afternoon. Israeli forces retaliated in neighbouring southern Lebanon districts.
According to Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV, Amirabdollahian reviewed the situation in Gaza and the region with the top Hamas official in exile, Saleh Arouri, and the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organisation, Ziad Nakhaleh, during a meeting in Beirut Saturday.
Hamas leaders have consistently said that the attack on southern Israel last Saturday, which killed over 1,300 civilians and IDF, was the work of the Palestinian group and had nothing to do with Iran. The Associated Press asked Hamas officials to confirm and provide information about the meeting, but they did not answer.
Amirabdollahian departed Beirut on Saturday afternoon after visiting Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, all of which are heavily influenced by Tehran.
Amirabdollahian stated that he met with Hezbollah commander Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday, who updated him on the group's situation in Lebanon.
“I know about the scenarios that Hezbollah has put in place. Any step the resistance (Hezbollah) will take will cause a huge earthquake in the Zionist entity," Amirabdollahian was quoted by AP in its report.
He added: “I want to warn the war criminals and those who support this entity before it’s too late to stop the crimes against civilians in Gaza, because it might be too late in few hours.”
With an eye on Hezbollah, US President Joe Biden has urged other Middle Eastern players not to enter the battle, dispatched American warships to the region, and pledged complete support for Israel.
Iran's foreign minister stated that he will call United Nations officials in the Middle East because "there is still an opportunity to work on an initiative (to end the war), but it might be too late tomorrow."
The prospect of a new front in Lebanon evokes sad memories of a month-long battle between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006, which ended in a stalemate and a strained detente between the two parties.