Sheikh Naim Kassem, the second in command of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, said that if the killing of civilians in Gaza by Israel does not stop, there is a risk of a wider war in the Middle East.
He told the BBC that a very serious and very dangerous situation could develop in the region and that no one can prevent its consequences.
More than 10,000 people have died in Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health run by Hamas. At one such time, the deputy head of Hezbollah gave the warning in an interview in Beirut.
This leader of Hezbollah said that the danger is really coming. Because Israel is escalating its aggression against civilians and killing women and children in large numbers. Can this situation continue without causing more danger in the region? I don’t think so.
He emphasized that if Israel’s attacks increase, the risk of war in the region will also increase.
The Shiite Islamist group, designated as a terrorist organization by the UK, US and the Arab League, is the largest political and military force in Lebanon.
In the wake of the war in Gaza, they have so far only raised the alarm level and are reacting cautiously.
Hezbollah used Grad rockets to kill an Israeli civilian for the first time since an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon killed a woman and three children on Sunday.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has threatened that every civilian death in Lebanon will be answered across the border. But he has not yet threatened Israel with all-out war.
The group has largely limited its response to cross-border attacks targeting military targets, insisting that ‘all options are open’.
More than 60 of their fighters have been killed, but Hezbollah has many more combat-experienced supporters to take their place.
A fighter whose family members have fought for Hezbollah for generations was buried in Beirut this week. Not only that, he is the fifth member of his family to die for the group.
