Eyes turn north to wild card Hezbollah

Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amirabdollahian said yesterday if Israel’s bombardment of Gaza continues, the war may open on “other fronts”, an apparent reference to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Amirabdollahian arrived in Beirut yesterday where he was greeted by representatives of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad along with Lebanese officials.

“In light of the continued aggression, war crimes, and siege on Gaza, opening other fronts is a real possibility,” Amirabdollahian said.

Questions have swirled around the extent of Iran’s role in the unprecedented surprise attack launched by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel on Saturday.

Hamas officials have denied that Iran was directly involved in planning the attack or green-lighted it, and to date no government worldwide has offered direct evidence that Iran orchestrated the attack. However, many have pointed to Iran’s long sponsorship of Hamas that has included training, funding and providing it with weapons.

Hezbollah, which like Hamas is supported by Iran, has so far been on the fence about joining the fighting between Israel and the Gaza Strip’s Islamic militant rulers.

With an arsenal of tens of thousands of rockets and missiles capable of hitting virtually anywhere in Israel, Hezbollah is viewed as a far more formidable foe than Hamas.

Qassim Qassir, a Lebanese analyst close to the group, said Hezbollah “will not allow Hamas’ destruction and won’t leave Gaza alone to face a ground incursion”.

“When the situation requires further escalation, then Hezbollah will do so,” he said.