Lebanon PM hints that Hezbollah has not ruled out entering Gaza-Israel war

Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister said Friday that he had not been given any assurances from Hezbollah about the Iran-backed group not getting dragged into the Gaza-Israel war.

“It’s on Israel to stop provoking Hezbollah,” Najib Mikati was quoted as saying in an interview with a local channel.

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Speaking during an interview, Mikati said that he felt a sense of Hezbollah’s “rationality and realism” during talks with officials from the group.

The caretaker premier said the main issue was the stability of Lebanon. “But I did not receive any guarantees from anyone about [how things could develop] because circumstances are changing...”

The US has warned Hezbollah not to get involved in the fighting between Israel and Hamas militants, fearing massive civilian casualties in Lebanon, officials and sources familiar with the matter said. France has been one of the many parties that passed messages to Lebanese sides, including Hezbollah, sources told Al Arabiya English. Regional officials were in constant contact with Lebanese officials, also issuing stern warnings that the civilian casualties of a flareup between Hezbollah and Israel would be catastrophic.

There have been cross-border exchanges after rocket and missile attacks from Palestinian factions inside Lebanon resulted in Israeli retaliation against Hezbollah targets. At least three Hezbollah militants have been killed, according to the group.

Read more: US military posture increases in Middle East a signal to Iran, Hezbollah: Pentagon