Israel has conveyed an indirect warning to Lebanon that it would respond forcefully, including by targeting civilian infrastructure such as Beirut’s airport, should Hezbollah take part in any war between the US and Iran, two senior Lebanese officials told Reuters on Tuesday.
The offices of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Lebanese presidency did not immediately comment on the report.
The development comes as Washington and Tehran prepare to hold a third round of nuclear negotiations on Thursday in Geneva, according to Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi. The talks follow heightened tensions and growing concern over the possibility of military confrontation between the sides.
During a war in 2024, Israel inflicted significant damage on the Iran-backed Hezbollah organization, eliminating its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, along with thousands of operatives and destroying a large portion of its weapons stockpile.
Hezbollah, a Shi’ite Muslim group founded in 1982 by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, has indicated it is closely monitoring the current standoff. In a televised speech last month, the group’s leader, Naim Qassem, stated that Hezbollah was “not neutral" in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran and described the organization as a potential target of aggression.
“We are determined to defend ourselves. We will choose in due course how to act, whether to intervene or not," Qassem said.
Separately, a senior US State Department official said on Monday that the United States is withdrawing non-essential personnel and eligible family members from its embassy in Beirut.