Hezbollah says it is prepared for worst-case scenario, Israel unlikely to expand its war soon

A senior official in the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah says a broader war with Israel is not likely in the near future, but his group is fully prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem said: “The risk of a wider war is unlikely in the near future, but Hezbollah is prepared for the worst eventualities.”

“The movement does not build its military position based on political analyses, but rather on information and results on the ground,” he told Russian radio Sputnik’s Arabic service on Thursday.

Hezbollah’s deputy leader then described the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement as very likely, especially in light of the volatile situation in the territories occupied by Israel in 1948 and the fact that Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid can exert strong pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He said that 67 percent of the Israeli public believes that Netanyahu is no longer fit to remain in power, not to mention the massive anti-regime protests and serious internal conflicts.

The senior Hezbollah official added that Washington and the Tel Aviv regime were simply divided in terms of tactics and methods. “Netanyahu wants to openly continue his massacres, while Biden wants to achieve his goals consistently.”

Sheikh Qassem said that the French and American envoys seek to separate the southern Lebanon front from the Gaza front during their visits to Beirut.

“They are doing their best to satisfy Israel and prepare the ground for the return of settlers to the occupied northern territories. However, Hezbollah’s response to all these envoys has been that there will be no discussions until a ceasefire (in Gaza) is reached,” Hezbollah’s deputy leader said.

“Those in Lebanon who dream of a war to disrupt or weaken Hezbollah… will have disturbing dreams because reality is not influenced by their imagination… they have no effectiveness on the ground. There is a strong resistance to the Israeli enemy and it will prevail,” Sheikh Qassem concluded.

Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging deadly fire since early October last year, shortly after the regime launched a genocidal aggression against the Gaza Strip following a surprise operation by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

The Lebanese resistance movement has vowed to continue its retaliatory attacks as long as the Tel Aviv regime continues its war in Gaza, which has so far killed at least 38,011 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 87,445 others.

Hezbollah officials have repeatedly stated that they do not want a war with Israel, but have stressed that they are prepared in case such a war does occur.