BEIRUT, Jan 26 (Reuters) – The leader of Lebanon’s Iran-aligned Hezbollah movement, Naim Qassem, said on Monday that his group was concerned about confronting Washington’s threat against Iran, particularly any threat against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Tensions between Iran and the United States have grown following a severe crackdown on protests across Iran in which thousands were killed in the past few weeks, which President Donald Trump said could lead to a U.S. response. Tehran said any attack on Khamenei would trigger a “holy war”.
“We are concerned with what is happening and targeted by potential aggression. We are determined to defend ourselves. We will choose in due course how to act, whether to intervene or not… but we are not neutral,” Qassem said in a televised address.
The Hezbollah leader said mediators had told the group the U.S. and Israel were considering hitting it in case there was an attack on Iran, saying that a war on Iran could ignite the entire region this time.
Hezbollah was severely weakened in 2024 during cross border fighting with Israel that Hezbollah said was in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel and Lebanon agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in 2024, but both sides have traded accusations of violations.
(Reporting by Laila Bassam and Maya GebeilyWriting by Jaidaa TahaEditing by Peter Graff)
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