The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, delivered a warning to the United States on Friday, emphasizing that preventing a regional war hinged on putting an end to the Israeli assault on Gaza.
Nasrallah stated, "You, the Americans, can stop the aggression against Gaza because it is your aggression. Whoever wants to prevent a regional war, and I am talking to the Americans, must quickly halt the aggression on Gaza."
Furthermore, Nasrallah hinted at a potential confrontation with U.S. warships in the Mediterranean, asserting, "You, the Americans, know very well that if war breaks out in the region, your fleets will be of no use, nor will fighting from the air be of any benefit, and the one who will pay the price will be ... your interests, your soldiers and your fleets."
He specifically addressed U.S. warships in the Mediterranean, stating that Hezbollah was prepared for any potential threat, stating, "I tell you with all sincerity, we have prepared well for your fleets, with which you are threatening us."
The conflict stems from the October 7 cross-border assault by Hamas, to which Israel responded by laying a devastating siege on Gaza. Gaza health authorities say at least 9,227 people - many of them women and children - have been killed since Israel started its bombardment of the small coastal enclave of 2.3 million people.
Since the Gaza war erupted, Hezbollah, a formidable military force backed by Iran, has been engaging Israeli forces along the Lebanon-Israel border in the deadliest escalation since it fought a war with Israel in 2006.
Nasrallah said Hezbollah had been escalating day by day at the Lebanese front, forcing Israel to keep forces near its northern frontier instead of the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank to the southwest. How that front develops would depend on the course of events in Gaza, and Israeli actions in Lebanon, he said.
