Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, speaking for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war erupted, warned Friday that a wider conflict in the Middle East was a realistic possibility.
A formidable military force backed by Iran, Hezbollah has been engaging Israeli forces along the Lebanon-Israel border in the deadliest escalation since it fought a war with Israel in 2006.
Hezbollah has been escalating day by day, forcing Israel to keep its forces near the Lebanese border instead of the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, Nasrallah said in a televised address.
"What's happening on the border might seem modest but is very important."
Nasrallah blamed the United States for for the war in Gaza and the high civilian death toll and that a deescalation in the besieged enclave was vital to prevent regional war.
Nasrallah also said his militia is not deterred by U.S. warnings to stay out of the Israel-Hamas war.
He referred to U.S. military deployments in the region, saying “your fleets in the Mediterranean ... will not scare us.” He said that Hezbollah is prepared for all options.
He said his group had "entered the battle" with the past weeks’ unprecedented cross-border fighting. “We will not be limited to this,” he said, suggesting escalation was possible.
Still, Nasrallah stopped short of announcing that Hezbollah is fully engaging in the war.
Nasrallah thanked groups in Yemen and Iraq, part of what is known as the "Axis of Resistance." It includes Shiite Muslim Iraqi militias which have been firing at U.S. forces in Syria and Iraq, and Yemen's Houthis, who have joined in the conflict by firing drones at Israel.
He said the Oct. 7 operation led to an "earthquake" in Israel and that it exposed the country's weakness.
This report contains material from Reuters and The Associated Press.
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