Israel’s Opposition leader, Yair Lapid has addressed the growing threat of war with Hezbollah.
Saying that the current situation is “unimaginable,” Lapid urged that before going to war, Israel should “exhaust the diplomatic process with Hezbollah.”
Lapid said that Israel has effectively “abandoned our most flourishing [northern] region” due to the frequent cross-border attacks, which have forced tens of thousands of Israeli residents to evacuate.
His words come after the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, threatened that no part of Israel will be spared if a war erupts.
Tensions on the Lebanon-Israel border are high as Israel said this week that it had approved operational plans to escalate its military action against Hezbollah, with which it has been engaging in near-daily exchanges of fire since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October.
Meanwhile, Gershon Baskin, the Middle East Director for the NGO International Communities Organisation, opine that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is completely tied to the war on Gaza.
“There is no real conflict between the State of Israel and Lebanon. The conflict is all around the core issue of Israel and Palestine. This is why international attention needs to be focused on finding the diplomatic, political end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, first and foremost, the war in Gaza.”
Gershon Baskin
He added that the escalating fighting and “bold” rhetoric between Israel and Hezbollah is cause for concern.
“It’s a very dangerous picture right now with both sides being quite bold in their remarks,” he noted.
“A great deal of ignorance here of each side threatening to hit the other going way beyond what they’ve done in the past eight and a half months,” he said.
He added that it’s extraordinarily dangerous for the people of Israel and the people of Lebanon if this war escalates any more.
Cyprus Denies Involvement In Conflict
Meanwhile, Cyprus President, Nikos Christodoulides denied that his country is involved in the conflict beyond aiding in humanitarian relief work.
“The Republic of Cyprus is in no way involved in the hostilities,” Cypriot President, Nikos Christodoulides responded.
The EU member state closest to the Middle East, Cyprus was caught off guard by comments from Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah late on Wednesday that the island could be a target if it permitted Israel to use its military facilities in the event of an attack on Lebanon.
Cyprus and Israel have a bilateral defence cooperation agreement which has seen the countries conduct joint exercises.
“Opening Cypriot airports and bases to the Israeli enemy to target Lebanon would mean that the Cypriot government is part of the war, and the resistance will deal with it as part of the war,” the Hezbollah Chief said.
“The Republic of Cyprus is not part of the problem, the Republic of Cyprus is part of the solution,” Christodoulides said.
“And our role, as manifested, for example, through the humanitarian corridor [to Gaza] is being recognised not only by the Arab world, but by the entire international community.”
Nikos Christodoulides
Asked if he was worried about Nasrallah’s allegations, the President remarked that “the statements are not pleasant, but they do not correspond in any way to what is alleged, that is, to present the image that Cyprus is involved in the war activities.”
“That is not the case at all, he added”
The EU also weighed in.
“Any threats against our member state are threats against the EU,” Peter Stano, a spokesperson for the EU’s foreign policy branch said.
The spokesperson told reporters that the union will stand behind its member state Cyprus in the face of all threats.
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