White House Warning: Hezbollah and Other Actors Should Not Exploit Israel-Hamas Conflict

The White House warned, following a speech by Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, about the 'exploitation' of the conflict between Israel and Hamas by this Iran-backed group and other state and non-state actors. A spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council stated on Friday, November 3, that 'we will not engage in a verbal dispute.' This senior U.S. official emphasized that 'the United States is not seeking to escalate or expand the conflict between Hamas and Israel and has clearly stated, along with its partners, that Hezbollah and other actors—state or non-state—should not attempt to exploit the ongoing conflicts.' The spokesperson warned about 'the potential for this conflict to turn into a bloodier war than in 2006 between Israel and Lebanon,' stressing that the U.S. does not want this conflict to spread to Lebanon and that the potential devastation from war for Lebanon and its people is unimaginable and avoidable. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, warned the U.S. in his speech on Friday, November 3, that if Israel's attacks on Gaza do not stop, this conflict could escalate into a regional war. According to Reuters, other Iran-backed groups have attacked U.S. forces stationed in Iraq and Syria in recent weeks, and Houthi Shiites in Yemen have also launched drones towards Israel. Nasrallah's first speech after the recent outbreak of conflict between Israel and Hamas coincided with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Israel. Blinken has traveled to Israel for the second time in less than a month to express U.S. support for Israel. The U.S. Secretary of State has asked Israel to temporarily halt military attacks to allow for aid to be sent to the Gaza region. Israel has conditioned its acceptance of this request on the release of hostages held by Hamas militants. The U.S. has reiterated its warning to the Islamic Republic and Hezbollah: a second or third front should not be opened. The threat from Nasrallah: the transformation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas into a 'widespread war' is a real possibility. CENTCOM stated that the strengthening of U.S. forces in the Middle East is 'a show of resolve in action.' The United Arab Emirates has warned about the danger of the Gaza war spreading in the region. The United Nations is seeking $1.2 billion in aid to meet the urgent needs of Gaza residents.