In a message apparently directed at the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, Lebanon’s prime minister warned Wednesday against any moves that could lead the country into new fighting between Iran, the United States and Israel. “Faced with the risks of a new war in the region, I renew my warning about the dangers of dragging Lebanon into a new senseless adventure in the service of external interests,” Nawaf Salam said on Wednesday, without explicitly mentioning Hezbollah. South Lebanon has been an important front in interrelated regional conflicts. Fighting between Iran’s Hezbollah allies and Israel’s military has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes and killed nearly 9,000 since October 7, 2023, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Hezbollah, long a powerful political and paramilitary force in the country, pushed Lebanon directly into war with Israel by launching attacks against the Jewish state in support of Hamas after the 2023 terrorist attacks sparked the war in Gaza, and then firing rockets and missiles in support of Iran after joint US-Israel strikes began on February 28. agreement with Washington that does not also end the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza. A fragile ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hezbollah in June has stopped most large-scale fighting between the two sides, but Israeli forces still occupy much of southern Lebanon and there are sporadic attacks by both sides. “We do not accept that the country will once again become a theater of conflict for others,” Salam added, stating that Lebanon “has already paid a high price.” President Trump repeatedly threatened before the US midterm elections to renew strikes against Iran, but told the Financial Times as the results came in on Tuesday night that he had no immediate plans to order strikes.CBS/AFP
