Lebanese authorities have warned the militant group Hezbollah to stay out of the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, as Lebanon’s military bolsters its presence in the south to prevent rocket fire that could drag the country into the fighting, according to senior Lebanese officials and Western diplomats.
For now, Hezbollah — long considered Iran’s most powerful ally in the region — has indicated privately that it does not intend to attack Israel in support of Tehran, said the officials and diplomats who requested to remain anonymous to discuss the sensitive issue.
Although analysts said the group remained a threat, it was unclear how much firepower Hezbollah could bring to bear after losing much of its arsenal and many of its senior commanders during its 14-month war with Israel.
Once a formidable militia, Hezbollah was left battered by the conflict and has struggled to recover under a fragile cease-fire signed in November. As a result, the group has little incentive to risk provoking a new Israeli offensive, according to analysts.
Hezbollah’s absence from the fighting in recent days underscored the new reality for a group long positioned by Tehran as its first line of defense against Israel and reflected the broader weakening of Iran’s network of regional allies and proxies.
After Israel began airstrikes inside Iran on Friday, Lebanon’s government relayed messages to Hezbollah via the Lebanese military, urging the group not to intervene, according to one of the Lebanese officials. Lebanon’s new government has pledged to disarm all armed groups inside the country, including Hezbollah, but has yet to set a timeline on the process.
Those messages were echoed on Monday by Lebanon’s president and prime minister who stressed — without naming Hezbollah directly — that the country must stay out of the conflict. The crisis-hit nation is still reeling from Lebanon’s deadliest war in decades, with swaths of the country in ruins and no indication who will foot the multibillion-dollar reconstruction bill.
During a cabinet session on Monday, President Joseph Aoun insisted on “making every possible effort to keep Lebanon away from conflicts that do not concern it,” according to a statement from his office.
Western officials have similarly cautioned Hezbollah in recent days to stay out of the fighting, according to a senior Western diplomat who communicates with the militant group. Hezbollah so far appears to be wary of making a misstep and understands that any attack against Israel from Lebanon would not serve its interests, said the official, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue.
Hezbollah’s media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The group said in a statement on Friday that Israel’s attack on Iran was a dangerous escalation that threatened to “ignite the entire region,” but it notably stopped short of any pledge to respond militarily.
However, Lebanon is also home to an array of other armed groups, among them Palestinian factions including Hamas, whose primary power base is the Gaza Strip, where Israel is in the midst of another war.
Hamas was accused in March of firing rockets into Israel from Lebanon, one of many actions on both sides of the conflict in defiance of the cease-fire. Hours later, the Israeli military carried out airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs for the first time in months, leading the Lebanese government to issue stern warnings to Hamas and arrest several Palestinian operatives.
Fearing a repeat of such rocket fire, the Lebanese military has moved to bolster its presence and enforce security measures in southern Lebanon in recent days, according to two senior Lebanese security officials who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
The reinforced measures include increased army patrols and more vehicle searches at checkpoints, which are intended to prevent militants from firing into Israel from Lebanon and triggering an escalation, one official said.
Lebanon’s prime minister, Nawaf Salam, said on Monday that Lebanon must be spared “any involvement, in any form, in the ongoing conflict,” according to a government statement.
Hwaida Saad contributed reporting.
Euan Ward is a reporter contributing to The Times from Beirut.
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