Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, has warned of an unrestricted conflict with Israel. He also threatened Cyprus, marking a first in the history of the Lebanese militant group’s confrontations.
What Happened: Nasrallah declared that Hezbollah is prepared to fight “without rules and without limits” if the ongoing conflict with Israel intensifies, Financial Times reported on Thursday.
"The Cypriot government should beware that opening Cypriot airports and bases to the Israeli enemy to target Lebanon means that the Cypriot government has become part of the war," Nasrallah said.
The Iran-backed militant group and Israeli forces have been involved in almost daily exchanges of fire since the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza began in October. Both the U.S. Department of State and the European Union's European Council have placed Hamas in their foreign terrorist organization lists.
Israel and Cyprus have previously conducted joint military exercises, including in 2023, and have agreed to increase their defense cooperation. Nasrallah’s warning implies that if Israel uses Cypriot air bases to attack Lebanon, Cyprus could be pulled into the conflict.
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Despite the escalating hostilities, which have resulted in the displacement of tens of thousands of people and casualties on both sides of the border, a full-scale war has not yet broken out. The U.S. is leading diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation, but Israeli officials have indicated their readiness to resort to military action if diplomacy fails.
Why It Matters: Nasrallah’s speech comes at a time of heightened fears of a full-scale war between Hezbollah and Israel. The Lebanese militant group recently released surveillance drone footage of sites in Israel, further escalating the situation.
The recent escalation in conflict can be traced back to June 2024, when Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon sparked fears of a larger conflict.
The situation was further complicated when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his disapproval of U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to halt a shipment of large bombs to Israel and urged to supply the ammunition to “finish the job a lot faster” against its enemies like Iran.
Photo: mohammad kassir/Shutterstock.com
This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari
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