Despite Israeli Threats, Hezbollah Warns Any Attack On Iran’s Supreme Leader Is ‘Red Line’

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A Hezbollah official told AFP on February 25 that the Lebanese group will not intervene militarily if the United States carries out a “limited” attack against Iran, but will consider any attack against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a “red line.”

Lebanese authorities fear that Hezbollah would become involved if a potential U.S. attack on the Islamic Republic triggers a regional war, but the official told the French news agency: “In the event of limited U.S. strikes on Iran, Hezbollah’s position will be to not intervene militarily.”

A day earlier, Reuters reported, citing two senior Lebanese officials, that Israel has sent an indirect message to the Lebanese government that it would strike the country hard, even targeting civilian infrastructure, including the airport, in the event that Hezbollah gets involved in a war between Iran and the U.S.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said in a televised address last month that the group was “not neutral” in the standoff between Washington and Tehran, and that it was “targeted by the potential aggression.”

“We are determined to defend ourselves. We will choose in due course how to act, whether to intervene or not,” Qassem said.

The Lebanese government also declared last month that it had completed disarmament efforts of Hezbollah south of the Litani River, which Israel considered insufficient.

The Israeli military recently stepped up operations against Hezbollah, with Hebrew media reports indicating that the group may join Iran in a new conflict.

The military announced on February 25 that it destroyed Hezbollah infrastructure in several raids in southern Lebanon in the last few months. During the raids, troops of the 300th “Baram” Regional Brigade destroyed observation and firing posts of the group, where anti-tank missile launchers were located.

Just four days earlier, the military targeted three command centers belonging to Hezbollah’s missile array in an unusually large wave of strikes. It said that a “large number” of operatives were killed.

The group later acknowledged that eight of its operatives were killed in the strikes, which hit Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa Valley. One of the operatives, Hussein Mohammed Yaghi, was identified as a “commander.” The group rarely refers to its senior operatives slain in Israeli strikes as commanders.

Israel is clearly attempting to intimidate and deter Hezbollah, as a part of its ongoing preparations with the U.S. for a possible attack on Iran.

Hezbollah took heavy losses during the last conflict with Israel. The disarmament process and strikes ongoing since then have further degraded the group’s military capabilities. Still, the group remains a credible threat not just to Israel, but also to the U.S.

The commitment Hezbollah is showing towards Iran, its main ally and backer, is not the result of loyalty only, but also related to the group’s own interests.

Israel and the U.S. will likely shift focus to Lebanon and attack Hezbollah if they manage to score a victory against Iran. Thus, the group could act pre-emptively.

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