Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran sought to conquer the Middle East as the number of countries urging its citizens to leave Lebanon grew, amid heightened concern that the IDF-Hezbollah cross-border war would widen.
Tehran “is fighting us on a seven-front war: obviously, Hamas, Hezbollah as well as the Houthis, the militias in Iraq and Syria, the West Bank, and Iran itself,” he said.
“They’d like to topple Jordan. Their goal is to have a combined ground offensive from various fronts, coupled with a combined missile bombardment,” he explained.
The Iranian axis is “on the march to conquer the Middle East” including “Saudi Arabia,” Netanyahu said.
He spoke as the intense phase of the fighting in Rafah and Gaza in general is expected to wind down and all eyes have turned to the North, where it is feared that the IDF-Hezbollah war would expand into a Third Lebanon war.
Politico reported that a large-scale confrontation between the IDF and Hezbollah could break out if a ceasefire and hostage deal was not reached between Israel and Hamas.
Canada, the Netherlands, and Germany have all advised their citizens to leave the country.
The US embassy in Lebanon issued a reminder on Thursday for citizens to “strongly reconsider travel to Lebanon.
At any moment
“The security environment remains complex and can change quickly,” the security alert said.
The alert added that US citizens in Lebanon should not travel to southern Lebanon, the Lebanon-Syria border area, or refugee settlements.
“Reconsider travel to Lebanon due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, unexploded land-mines, and armed conflict,” a US State Department travel advisory reads.
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said as well it advises against all travel to Lebanon.“Travel within or out of Lebanon is at your own risk,” FCDO’s alert said.
France armed its citizens in April against traveling to Lebanon – as well as Iran, Israel, and the Palestinian territories – due to Iran’s threats against its regional adversaries.
France said on Thursday that it was “extremely concerned about the serious situation in Lebanon at a time when violence on the border with Israel is dramatically increasing.
“We call on all parties to show the utmost restraint and to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. France remains fully committed to preventing any risk of escalation, and promoting a diplomatic solution,” it said.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant raised the issue of Hezbollah and the possibility of war during his visit to the United States this week, where he met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
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