Speaker Nabih Berri has relayed recent warnings from foreign visitors to Hezbollah, urging the Iran-backed party to refrain from military involvement in the event of a new war on Tehran, a source directly involved in the U.S.-sponsored Lebanese–Israeli negotiations said.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani for his part met behind closed doors with MP Mohammad Raad of Hezbollah during his latest visit to Lebanon, and the lawmaker expressed Hezbollah’s “openness and flexibility,” noting that the group does not intend to resort to escalation, the source told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.
The source also revealed that during meeting with a number of MPs belonging to the Shiite Duo during his recent visit to Beirut, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh anticipated a renewal of the war between Tehran and Washington. According to the MPs, Khatibzadeh noted that his expectation was not baseless and that the likelihood of a renewed confrontation between Iran and the United States is far higher than betting on the success of mediation to resume U.S.-Iranian dialogue.
"For our part, we keep our hands on the trigger to respond if targeted, and we will not remain silent regarding Israel should it decide to support Washington," Khatibzadeh reportedly stated.
He emphasized to the MPs: "You are not required to intervene to assist us; we possess enough strength and resilience in the face of aggression to defend our land on our own. Furthermore, we will not agree to end the war and establish a ceasefire unless it includes Lebanon and opens the door to implementing the terms outlined in the Iranian-American memorandum of understanding."
Khatibzadeh reportedly continued that Iranian experts are "working day and night to develop and strengthen our defensive capabilities,” adding that “Washington will be surprised not only by our ability to endure, but also by our response to aggression through strikes against the Americans that ... will come as a surprise to them."