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Lebanese officials have urged Hezbollah not to join Iran’s response to Israeli attacks and the group has assured them it will not take part, security sources told The National on Saturday.
“Officials moved quickly to urge Hezbollah not to drag Lebanon into another war, and the group has given reassurances that it has no intention of doing so,” one of the Lebanese sources said.
Israel’s deadly strike on Iran on Friday wiped out much of Tehran’s military and nuclear leadership. A broader regional offensive by Israel over the past two years has severely weakened Iranian proxies across the region, leaving Hezbollah unable to come to its sponsor’s aid.
Still, there is concern within security circles in Lebanon over one specific factor: Hezbollah’s arsenal of strategic, long-range precision missiles.
“We know those important missiles can only be launched on orders from Iran,” the source said. “The problem is, we don’t know whether they still exist or if they were destroyed by Israel. And if they do still exist, there’s a worry they could eventually be used and lead to a new devastating war with Israel.”
A second security source confirmed that the state had formally requested Hezbollah not to interfere, and the group responded positively.
“Many people have fled southern Lebanon and Hezbollah-controlled areas in Beirut out of fear of Israeli strikes and a wider escalation despite the assurances,” the source added.
Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah, which escalated in September 2024, took out most of the group’s leaders and destroyed most of its arsenal. By Israeli and US intelligence estimates, around 70 per cent of Hezbollah’s military capabilities have been destroyed.
Even if Hezbollah were in a position to attack, its main supply route by land through Syria was cut when its ally, Bashar Al Assad, was deposed last December by rebels who Hezbollah itself had spent years fighting. This means the group would have difficulty replenishing the limited stores that remain.
Lebanese leaders and western diplomats are aware that Lebanon’s relative stability is hanging in the balance. The US and France scrambled to reach a shaky, if uneven, ceasefire in Lebanon. But the ceasefire, and Hezbollah’s defeat, has led to a de facto political reality: Israel can strike at will in Lebanon, but Hezbollah – and Lebanon – would be severely punished for attacking or retaliating.
