Escalating Tensions: US Officials Fear Israel-Hezbollah Conflict May Turn into Full-Scale War

The Israel-Hezbollah conflict has sparked concerns among US officials, who fear that the situation may escalate significantly in the coming days and risk turning into a full-scale war.

Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem condemned Israel’s recent attacks on Lebanon during the funeral of Ibrahim Aqil, a senior Hezbollah member who was recently killed in an Israeli airstrike. Qassem stated that Israel had committed “war crimes that have pained us” and as a result, “an unlimited battle” had begun.

Qassem emphasized that Hezbollah’s rocket attacks on Israel on September 21, which penetrated deep into Israeli territory, were part of an “unrestricted battle.” He warned, “What happened last night was part of an unrestricted battle… We admit that you have hit us. We are also human beings. But when we suffer, you will also suffer.”

Hezbollah officials maintained that Israel would not achieve its goals and that Lebanon’s support for Gaza would not change until Israel ended its hostilities there. In recent days, Israel has repeatedly attacked Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, killing senior Hezbollah commanders, including Mr. Aqil, and destroying over 100 rocket launchers.

The wave of attacks came amid chaos in Lebanon as a series of explosions killed about 40 people and injured 3,500. The Lebanese government and Hezbollah suspect Israel was behind the unprecedented attack, but Tel Aviv has neither denied nor confirmed it.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, “Over the past few days, we have hit Hezbollah with a series of attacks that they could not have imagined. If Hezbollah has not yet received the message, I promise they will eventually.” The head of the Israeli military’s Northern Command, Ori Gordin, also asserted that they had “inflicted significant damage on Hezbollah” and that Israel would further intensify such attacks.

Recent developments have raised concerns that the Israel-Hezbollah conflict will spread further into a regional war. US officials are working to urge Israel to de-escalate tensions amid heightened tensions following cross-border Israeli attacks.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated that military escalation will not help the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu achieve its goal of restoring the lives of Israelis bordering Lebanon. He also emphasized that the US would not give up its efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.