Beirut, Feb 28, (V7N) – Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Saturday that Lebanon will not allow itself to be dragged into war, following Israeli and US strikes on Iran that have heightened regional tensions.Authorities fear that Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, could be drawn into the escalating conflict. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday, with Tehran responding through missile attacks.

Shortly before the broader operation began, Israel announced it was carrying out strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that mountainous areas known as Hezbollah strongholds were targeted.

“I reiterate that we will not accept anyone dragging the country into adventures that threaten its security and unity,” Salam said in a post on X, urging all Lebanese to prioritise national interests amid the unfolding crisis.

President Joseph Aoun stressed that sparing Lebanon from the “disasters and horrors of external conflicts” and preserving its sovereignty and stability are absolute priorities.

Meanwhile, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, called on all parties to shield the country from the regional escalation.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem was scheduled to deliver a speech Saturday, but it was postponed due to recent developments. Earlier this week, a Hezbollah official told AFP that the group would not intervene militarily in the event of “limited” US strikes on its ally Iran, but warned that any attack on Iran’s supreme leader would cross a “red line.”

Lebanon’s foreign minister also expressed concern that Israeli attacks could target civilian infrastructure if Hezbollah becomes involved in a wider regional conflict between the United States and Iran.

During last June’s 12-day war between Israel and Iran — which eventually drew in the United States — Hezbollah did not intervene. The group remains weakened following more than a year of conflict with Israel that a November 2024 ceasefire sought to halt.

END/WD/RH