Iran threatens ‘devastating war’ if Israel attacks Lebanon – POLITICO

“All options, including the full participation of all resistance fronts, are on the table,” the Iranian officials said, referring to the alliance of armed groups backed by Iran, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Yemeni Houthis and Iraqi Shiite militias.

The threats from Iran follow a statement by former Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz on Tuesday: “We can plunge Lebanon into total darkness and destroy Hezbollah’s power within days.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned on Thursday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) could lead Lebanon “back to the Stone Age.” But “we do not want war because that is not good for Israel,” he added during a visit to Washington.

According to US intelligence, a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah is likely to break out in the coming weeks if the Israeli government and Hamas fail to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

According to data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) published by Al Jazeera, there have been around 7,400 cross-border attacks between Israel and Lebanon since October 7.

Escalating tensions on the Israeli-Lebanese border prompted Germany, the Netherlands and Canada this week to urge their citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible on commercial flights still operating in the country. The United States, which has a slightly more conservative view, issued a travel warning for U.S. citizens, urging them to “urgently reconsider” travel to Lebanon.