Hezbollah militant group urged to avoid getting involved if the US strikes Iran

GENEVA (AP): Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji on Tuesday urged the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah not to get involved in any fighting between the United States and Iran, expressing concerns about a new possible conflict with Israel.

Rajji told journalists in Geneva that Lebanese officials had been warned that in the event of another Israel-Hezbollah war, Israel would strike harder against civilian infrastructure across Lebanon than in the previous round of fighting.

The appeal comes amid growing concerns that the US might carry out new strikes against Iran. Iran held annual military drills with Russia on Thursday as a second US aircraft carrier drew closer to the Middle East.

The US and Iran have signalled that they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme fizzle out.

Rajji said Lebanese authorities had appealed to Hezbollah, which has fought several wars with Israel, most recently in 2024, not to respond in any way that could trigger “bad situations” for Lebanese civilians.

“Lebanon has received signs that the Israelis could strike civilian infrastructure, and maybe the airport” in Beirut, Rajji said in Geneva, where he was attending a Human Rights Council session.

During the last Israel-Hezbollah war, in 2024, the airport was not hit and remained operational throughout the conflict. In a month-long war between the two in 2006, Israel struck the Beirut airport. Many Lebanese civilians have been killed, wounded or displaced in previous rounds of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.