Hezbollah’s leader says it will not negotiate peace with Israel until the war in Gaza ends
Hassan Nasrallah, the head of the powerful armed group Hezbollah, vowed Friday that they would not negotiate peace with Israel until the war in Gaza is over — a statement that came as Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken embarked on a diplomatic tour of the Center East started. to defuse regional tensions amid growing fears of a wider conflict.
Top Israeli officials have repeatedly threatened that if US-led efforts to broker a diplomatic settlement fail, they will have little choice but to step up military action against Hezbollah in Lebanon. U.S. officials have expressed concern that if fighting spreads to more fronts, it could potentially drag the United States into a regional war.
“You should demand that your government stops the offensive,” Mr. Nasrallah said, addressing Israeli citizens directly in a televised address. “There will be no dialogue unless the aggression in Gaza stops.”
“You will be the first to pay the price,” he warned.
Mr. Nasrallah reiterated a message from his speech on Wednesday, when he pledged that Hezbollah would carry out the killing of a Hamas leader, Saleh al-Arouri – a man he described as a “dear friend” – in a Beirut suburb of Lebanon. capital, would avenge. . Mr al-Arouri was the highest-ranking Hamas figure to be assassinated since Israel vowed to destroy the organization and eliminate its leadership following large-scale Hamas-led raids on Israel on October 7.
“This will not go unpunished,” Mr Nasrallah said on Friday. “We cannot remain silent. ”
As on Wednesday, Mr. Nasrallah did not say exactly how and when his group would respond to the killing. And while clashes have increased along the Israel-Lebanon border, none have yet signaled a clear escalation.
Israel has not publicly accepted or denied responsibility for the killing, but two senior Lebanese security officials, who declined to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss an active investigation, said Israel carried out the attack using six missiles , two of which failed to explode.
Lebanon’s interim government has filed a complaint with the UN Security Council over the killing of Mr al-Arouri, calling it the “most dangerous phase” yet amid the escalating conflict, according to a statement.
As he concluded his remarks, Mr. Nasrallah appeared to acknowledge this new chapter.
“Today’s war is not only in the interests of Palestine, but also of Lebanon,” he said.