Hezbollah sets threshold for rejoining US-Iran conflict
A senior Lebanese official says the group will only intervene if Iran's regime faces an existential threat, a trigger last crossed in February.
By Harper Collins ·
The criteria for Hezbollah's entry into a renewed conflict between the United States and Iran appear narrowly defined, according to a report published by the UAE state-owned outlet The National. The report details a specific trigger that distinguishes a general escalation from a scenario where the Lebanese group would re-engage.
A senior Lebanese official stated that Hezbollah would join the fight only if the survival of the Iranian regime is at stake. The official noted that this condition was met in the previous round of hostilities. On February 28, a joint US-Israeli strike killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an event the official described as crossing an explicit red line. The official added, 'We knew earlier this year, when the war in the region first broke out, that Hezbollah would join the fighting if [late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei were killed.'
The group has spent at least three months preparing for renewed combat. Two Lebanese security sources told Reuters that Hezbollah used the lull in hostilities since June to rearm. The focus of these efforts has been on procuring explosives and producing drones capable of reaching the security zone. The group has also worked to restore command-and-control structures that collapsed during key battles earlier in the year.
Funding for this rearmament has come from Iran. One security source and another close to Hezbollah said the group received tens of millions of dollars in new cash injections. This amount is in addition to roughly $200 million previously received from Tehran, a figure Reuters reported in October. Despite the funding, Hezbollah's military capacity remains weakened, a factor the senior Lebanese official cited as a reason the group is waiting for an existential threat before fully committing.
Washington is monitoring the group's financial health. A US State Department spokesman said the administration would continue to constrain Hezbollah's finances through sanctions. A US Treasury spokesperson noted that Iran is running out of both money and methods to move it. These measures aim to limit the resources available to Hezbollah for its rearmament efforts.
Diplomatic efforts in the region continue alongside these military preparations. President Donald Trump pledged a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon if Beirut joins the Abraham Accords, according to a senior Gulf diplomatic source. The claim was published by Lebanese journalist Nour Naameh in the newspaper Ad-Diyar. The source described these as official US commitments, though the White House has not confirmed the details or provided a timetable for implementation.
Israeli officials maintain a stricter position regarding their troops. Senior Israeli officials responded to the reports by insisting that Israel will not withdraw its forces before Hezbollah is disarmed. This stance creates a potential friction point in the diplomatic talks, as Lebanon seeks guarantees of withdrawal in exchange for political integration into the Abraham Accords framework.
