Russia says Iran and Lebanon want to avoid 'big war'
Hezbollah is not eager to ramp up its hostilities against Israel, the Russian foreign minister has said.
Moscow does not believe that Iran, Lebanon or Hezbollah want the Israel-Palestine war to escalate into a broader regional conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has told Russia’s RT television.
Concerns continue to be raised that the fighting between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas could spark a wider war in the Middle East.
Israel’s defense minister has threatened to bomb the Lebanese capital Beirut in a similar way to Israel’s campaign in Gaza, while some U.S. hawks have called for an attack on Iran.
Moscow, however, believes there is “no appetite” for a major conflict in Lebanon or Iran, Lavrov stated, adding that neither country wants “any involvement in this crisis.”
While there have been border clashes between Israeli troops and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah, Lavrov claimed that recent televised remarks by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah suggest that the group has “no appetite for a big war.”
That may change if Hezbollah is provoked into action by an attempt to force Palestinians out of Gaza, the Russian diplomat warned.
The same assessment is true for Iran, Lavrov argued, regardless of an escalation of attacks by militia forces on American bases in the region, which Washington has blamed on Tehran.
“Yes, Americans say that some pro-Iranian armed groups in Syria and Iraq are trying to attack American military sites,” the Russian minister said, describing such incidents as “nothing new.”
Lavrov suggested that the U.S. military presence in Syria was clearly illegal and was also questionable in Iraq, considering that the latter country’s parliament had ordered the government to oust American forces in 2020.
Regional militias may be “agitated” by the mistreatment of Palestinians and proceed to “bite the Americans and the Israelis here and there,” but that does not indicate an intention by senior leadership to escalate the situation, Lavrov said.
However, he warned against perceiving this restraint as “weakness and a greenlight” for Israel to have a free hand in Gaza.
Israel has besieged Gaza since Hamas launched a surprise deadly incursion last month, allegedly killing hundreds of civilians and capturing scores of hostages. Israel’s response, which it claims is necessary to “obliterate” the Palestinian militant group, has resulted in over 11,000 deaths in Gaza.
15 November 2023, 15:36
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Lavrov didn't mention Ukraine -- does Russia plan to continue its occupation of Crimea and attacking Ukrainians?
15 November 2023, 15:50
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Ukraine is Russia, Russia is Ukraine. There’s no such thing as Crimean occupation. It’s a civil war fueled by the West like most civil wars around the world.
16 November 2023, 01:06
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While I would typically agree with your perspective @Irena, it's important to note that Lebanon boasts a profound and extensive history that is distinct from Syria's, despite a shared past within the same territory at certain points. Over millenniae, Lebanon's narrative has evolved independently. Conversely, the relationship between Ukraine and Russia holds a different historical context. Kiev, as the birthplace of Russia, establishes a deep-rooted connection between the two nations that dates back to the late 900s. This continuous historical intertwining has contributed significantly to their shared identity and historical trajectory.
16 November 2023, 19:39
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Lebanese_patriot, your assertion may be misguided. Relying solely on Western literature might not yield a comprehensive understanding of the Slavic populace. Proficiency in Russian allows one to grasp roughly 95% of Ukrainian, akin to the relationship between Lebanese and Palestinian dialects, and even enables comprehension of Polish. I can personally attest to this linguistic correlation.
I took the Latin option in secondary school, I hesitate to engage in prolonged debate as it appears there might be some misinformation. Your analogy, suggesting 'the Romans are the ancestors of all the Romance peoples,' is flawed. Perhaps you intended to refer to Latin as the precursor language of Romance languages.
16 November 2023, 01:11
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@breakinthezura, Some months back, either as per the Jerusalem Post or Haaretz, there was a report stating Evgeny Prigojin ranked 53rd among the most influential Jewish personalities of 2023.
