We are already one month into the war between Israel and Hamas and it appears the conflict will only continue to escalate. In fact, there are some fears that a region wide war is in the near future.
Hezbollah’s second-in-command Naim Qassem said that if Israel continues its deadly assault on Gaza then they will escalate cross-border attacks into deeper Israeli territory than ever before. This comes as Iranian-backed militant groups across the Middle East launch an unprecedented array of attacks against American targets.
Sheikh Naim Qassem, Deputy Secretary General of Hezbollah, regarding the martyrdom of Lebanese citizens in Israeli attacks: pic.twitter.com/kNr8z8N5Xy
— Iran Observer (@IranObserver0) November 7, 2023
Qassem framed Israel as the aggressor and said these growing attacks were “a clear message that if you expand there will be serious consequences.” It is evident that there is coordination between these groups and it has upped the ante for not only Israel but also for America who they see as mastermind behind this aggression.
Qassem added “How does America and the rest of the world have the right to stand on the side of Israel that kills civilians and children and destroys homes while we don’t have the right to support our people and our loved ones in Palestine?” Despite this escalation, both sides still show restraint so far by keeping their actions limited to harassment or tit-for-tat attacks rather than uncontrollable conflict.
Despite Nasrallah’s speech stopping short of declaring all out war with Israel, he did pledge that his group would retaliate for any Israeli action taken against Gaza. When asked if this meant Hezbollah would begin deliberately targeting Israeli civilians Qassem replied with an enigmatic answer saying “What we will do you will see in the press God willing,” adding “you can start counting” implying something more sinister was coming soon after.
In reaction to what was seen as a threat from Hezbollah, four civilians were killed including three children when their vehicle was struck by bombs from Israeli forces Sunday night. As these threats continue even more attention needs to be paid as it could lead to an all out regional war with possible devastating effects for everyone involved.
