Growing Concerns Over War Expansion in the Region; Hezbollah Leader Threatens Israel and Cyprus with Attack

Hezbollah of Lebanon threatened on Wednesday that in the event of war, it would target all locations in Israel, and if Cyprus collaborates with Israel, it too would suffer from Hezbollah's attacks. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, warned in a televised speech on June 30 that 'no place in Israel will be safe from our missiles' and 'if Cyprus opens its airports or bases for Israel to use in attacking Lebanon, it will be targeted by Hezbollah.' Cyprus hosts two British military bases that are not under the control of the Cypriot government. These statements came after Israel announced that it had approved plans to attack Lebanon. The Israeli army previously stated that operational plans for an attack on Lebanon had been approved, and Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz warned that in the event of a 'full-scale war,' Hezbollah would be destroyed. Border violence between Israel and Hezbollah has so far resulted in the deaths of at least 478 Hezbollah fighters and 93 civilians. Israeli officials also report that at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians in northern Israel have been killed as a result of Hezbollah attacks. The escalation of tensions between Israel and Lebanon comes more than eight months after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, with the situation in the region and its civilian inhabitants reported to be dire. The October 7 attack by Hamas militants that triggered the war in Gaza resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people, most of whom were civilians. According to the Israeli army, 251 hostages were taken, of which 116 remain in Gaza, and '41 of them are likely dead.'