Kamal Kharrazi, Foreign Affairs Adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

Khamenei Aide Says Iran Would Use ‘All Means’ to Back Hezbollah

Tuesday, 07/02/2024

An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader has issued a warning that an all-out Israeli offensive against Hezbollah could trigger a regional war.

Kamal Kharrazi, foreign affairs adviser to Ali Khamenei, stated that Tehran and the “axis of resistance” would support the Lebanese militant movement with “all means.”

“All Lebanese people, Arab countries, and members of the axis of resistance will support Lebanon against Israel," he said.

Hezbollah, Iran's most formidable proxy, funded, trained, and armed by Tehran, continues its daily skirmishes with Israeli forces amid the ongoing Gaza conflict.

In an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, Kharrazi claimed that the Islamic Republic was “not interested” in a regional conflict and urged the US to pressure Israel to prevent further escalation. Meanwhile, Iran's regional proxies continue to attack both Israel and US targets in the region.

Kharrazi emphasized the risk of the conflict spreading, stating, “There would be a chance of expansion of the war to the whole region, in which all countries including Iran would become engaged. In that situation, we would have no choice but to support Hezbollah by all means.”

Lebanon's Hezbollah began targeting Israel after the eruption of the Gaza war, sparked by Iran-backed Hamas's invasion of October 7. At least 1,200 mostly civilians were killed and 250 more taken hostage.

The supreme leader's aide added, “The expansion of war is not in the interest of anyone — not Iran or the US.”

In April, Iran launched the first direct attack on Israel with a barrage of 350 missiles and drones following an alleged Israeli strike on Iran's consulate in Syria targeting a senior Quds Force commander and other senior IRGC figures.

A US-led coalition intercepted most of the projectiles in what was seen as the beginning of direct conflict between the two arch-enemies.

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