Beirut [Lebanon], August 8: CNN on August 8 quoted a source saying that Hezbollah would likely act independently and attack Israel without waiting for Iran. Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr was killed by Israel in an airstrike in Beirut on July 30. A day later, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, Iran. Israel was accused of being behind it but neither admitted nor denied it.
According to CNN, Hezbollah could attack Israel in the next few days while Iran is still discussing how to respond. A US official said Iran has not yet prepared everything necessary for a major attack. Given Lebanon's location on the border with Israel , Hezbollah could act without being detected in advance.
One official said there was a sense that Hezbollah and Iran were not coordinating their response to the assassinations of Mr Shukr and Mr Haniyeh.
Since the assassinations, the world has been closely watching developments in the Middle East for possible retaliation from Iran and Hezbollah. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation convened an extraordinary foreign ministers' meeting on August 7 to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The meeting took place in Saudi Arabia, with the result being a joint statement accusing Israel of taking full responsibility for the assassination of the Hamas leader , saying it was a serious violation of Iran's sovereignty.
Iran's Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri said that with the lack of appropriate action from the United Nations Security Council, Iran has no choice but to use its inherent right to legitimate defense against Israel's behavior.
US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have made a series of calls to their counterparts in the Middle East this week to convey the message of de-escalation. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on August 7 hoped that all parties with relations with Iran would put pressure on the country, just as the US is putting pressure on Israel to prevent them from taking further actions to escalate the conflict.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
