Gaza Peace as Precondition for Lebanon-Israel Calm, Hezbollah Stresses

The deputy of the Lebanese group Hizbullah Naim Kassem stressed the necessity of a cease-fire in Gaza to stop the fighting on the Lebanese-Israeli border. ‘If there is a ceasefire in Gaza, we’ll stop without any hesitation and without being asked,’ Kassem told The Associated Press during an interview on Wednesday at Hezbollah’s political headquarters in Beirut’s southern suburbs. 

 Demands for the Implementation of Clear Formalities of a Cease in Fighting

 Kassem argued that with only the complete withdrawal of the Israeli military forces from the Gaza strip and the signing of the cease-fire, the situation along the Lebanon-Israel border would remain unpredictable if Israel decreased its operations. “If what happens in Gaza is a mix between ceasefire and no ceasefire, war and no war, we can’t answer how we would react now, because we don’t know its shape, its results, its impacts,” He said. 

 Background of the Conflict

 The war intensified after Hamas armed personnel invaded the southern part of Israel on October 7; the aggression caused about 1,200 deaths, as well as over 250 hostages, as per Israeli data. In turn, Israel used bombers and tanks in Gaza carnage that led to the death of 37,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. 

 Ongoing tensions and Ceasefire talks

 Talks for a Gaza truce have frozen, and extremists now eyed more hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. The low-intensity conflict in the bordering area of Lebanon and Israel forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. Hamas calls for a cease-fire, yet Netanyahu is going to fight until Hamas is obliterated militarily and politically and all the prisoners are released. 

Israel Preparations & Hezbollah Threats

 Exactly a month ago, the officers of the Israeli army published “planned and authorized” operations in Lebanon in case of the failure of diplomatic methods. Kassem, however, does not believe that ‘Israel is capable of and willing to go to a full-scale war in Lebanon.’ Said any limited conflict that has been started by Israel could turn into a disaster out of control. “Israel can decide what it wants: He said war can be of kind “limited war, total war, partial war,” but it should expect that our response and our resistance will not be within a ceiling and rules of engagement set by Israel. If Israel wages the war, it means it doesn’t control its extent or who enters into it. 

 Hezbollah’s Readiness to Respond

 Kassem’s remarks show that Hezbollah is warmed and prepared to respond mightily to the subsequent Israeli aggression, stressing that its response is not bounded by any measure adopted by the Israeli entity. Thus, the current stalemate, alongside the prospects of further escalation of the conflict, indicates the volatility of the situation in the region and the paramount importance of demarcation of a durable ceasefire in Gaza.