US Military Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Q. Brown warned on Sunday that an Israeli offensive in Lebanon would risk Tehran’s response in support of Hezbollah, turning the ongoing conflict into a regional war, according to the Associated Press (AP).
He added that Iran would provide far more support for Hezbollah than it had for Hamas, “particularly if it felt that Hezbollah was under serious threat.”
In particular, Brown pointed out that the United States would probably not be in a position to help Israel defend itself in a wider war against Hezbollah and Iran, as it had done in April to repel an Iranian attack on its territory.
As a reminder, on the evening of April 13, Tehran launched hundreds of drones and missiles against the Jewish state. Almost all of these missiles were repelled by Israeli anti-aircraft defenses, heavily reinforced by American, British, Jordanian and French forces.
The American official also stated that such a development could endanger all American forces stationed in the region.
As a reminder, US forces stationed in Iraq and Syria as part of the international coalition against the jihadist group Islamic State (EI) regularly come under attack from armed groups affiliated with Iran.
Brown was speaking on his way to Botswana for a meeting of African defense ministers.
Echoes From Iran
These statements underline the growing pressure exerted by the Biden administration on the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to dissuade it from any major action against Hezbollah, as tensions rise on the Lebanese-Israeli border.
On the Iranian side, Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari, head of the Iranian armed forces’ ground branch, said on Monday that the Tehran-led axis would not remain impassive in the event of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, according to remarks reported by Iranian media outlet Tehran Times.
“If the Zionist regime launches an attack on Lebanon and starts an all-out conflict with Hezbollah, the Axis of Resistance will not remain passive. A severe and decisive response will be made to counter the Zionists’ malevolence”, he said.
