Hezbollah Issues Threat to Israel, US as Hamas War Escalates

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah issued a threat to Israel and the United States on Sunday, suggesting that it could get further involved in support of Hamas as the war escalates.

Hamas, a militant Palestinian group which the U.S. designates as a terrorist organization, launched a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday. The violence has thus far left hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians dead, with Hamas taking a number of Israelis captive.

Israeli media reported on Sunday that the security cabinet had officially declared the country at war over night. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously said on Saturday "we are at war," and vowed Israel would "take revenge for this black day."

Hezbollah, an Iran-backed organization that the U.S. also considers a terrorist group, on Sunday launched a barrage of mortar shells into Israel. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) then responded by shooting artillery into Lebanon. No casualties were reported on either side, according to Reuters.

Hashem Safi al-Din, the head of Hezbollah's Executive Council, suggested on Sunday that the group could become further involved in the escalating conflict.

"The responsibility obliges all the sons of our nation not to be neutral and we are not neutral," Safi al-Din said at a pro-Palestinian rally in Beirut, Lebanese news site Naharnet reported.

The Hezbollah official referred to his group's shelling of Israel, saying: "The resistance sent a message this morning." He said "it is our right to target the enemy that is still occupying our land and the Israelis must read this message well."

He continued: "There is a message to the Americans and Israelis that what happened in Gaza means that your protracted foolishness and underestimation have led you to the Al-Aqsa Flood [operation], and if you go further today you will witness the flood of the entire nation, not only Al-Aqsa," Al-Aqsa Flood is the name given to the Hamas assault on Israel.

Safi al-Din warned that "the scene of the storming of settlements around Gaza coupled with rocket shelling will one day be repeated dozens-fold stronger, from Lebanon and from all the areas that are adjacent to occupied Palestine."

Newsweek reached out to the Israeli Ministry of Defense for comment.

A State Department spokesperson told Newsweek in an email that "the United States will continue providing assistance to Israel and no other parties should join or take advantage of Hamas's appalling attack. Hamas's actions have sickened the world.

"Any decision by Hezbollah or other actors to drag Lebanon into this conflict would have terrible consequences for the Lebanese people. They deserve better."

Hilal Khashan, a professor of political science and department chair at the American University of Beirut, told Newsweek on Sunday that he does not expect Hezbollah to become further embroiled in the conflict.

Khashan said that the Lebanese group is "embarrassed because Hamas, whose military assets are humble compared to its vast arsenal, launched a massive operation yesterday, attacked settlements and towns, seized military bases and reached settlements and held them for more than one day."

"Hezbollah has no interest in escalation against Israel, and the mortar attack this morning does not upset the rules of engagement with Israel. Hezbollah understands that a new war with Israel will force Lebanese southerners to flee their homes," he said.

The professor assessed that "another war would weaken Hezbollah, severely eroding its hold on Lebanon."

Despite being condemned as a terrorist organization in the West, Hezbollah holds significant political power in Lebanon. The group is particularly popular with the Mediterranean nation's Shiite Muslim population, although some Lebanese Christians and Sunni Muslims also view the organization favorably. It receives significant backing from Iran, which also strongly opposes Israel.

Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, released a statement on Sunday praising Hamas' attack on Israel. He predicted that the Palestinian group's operation would lead to the "collapse" of Israel.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden expressed strong support for Israel and condemned the Hamas attacks.

"The United States warns against any other party hostile to Israel seeking advantage in this situation," Biden said in a statement emailed to Newsweek by the White House on Saturday. "My Administration's support for Israel's security is rock solid and unwavering."

Update 10/11/23, 9:27 a.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from a State Department spokesperson.