Hezbollah Turns Down Offer From Fellow Iran Proxies to Send Troops for War Against Israel

Latest Developments

As fears of a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah continue to grow, the leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group has turned down an offer from other Iranian proxies in the region to send fighters in solidarity, the Associated Press reported on June 23. During a speech on June 19, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah claimed that Iraqi, Syrian, and Yemeni terrorist groups supported by Tehran had offered to send tens of thousands of fighters to support Hezbollah. “We told them, thank you, but we are overwhelmed by the numbers we have,” Nasrallah stated.

Expert Analysis

“Nasrallah, in all of his speeches, attempts to project power — power that, sometimes, Hezbollah may not actually possess. He is trying to convince his base that Hezbollah is strong and capable of singlehandedly handling Israel. However, it’s very likely that the array of Iranian proxies would make their way to Lebanon if the group found itself in real danger of defeat or destruction by the Israel Defense Forces.” — David Daoud, FDD Senior Fellow

“Iran’s proxies in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen have already been attacking Israel since the war began in October. Should war erupt in Lebanon, with Iran’s encouragement, these attacks will likely escalate to exert further pressure on Israel and preserve the position of Hezbollah as the star player in the Islamic Republic’s network.” — Ahmad Sharawi, FDD Research Analyst

U.S. Warns of Iranian Support for Hezbollah

On June 23, Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown warned that Iran would likely intervene on behalf of Hezbollah in any full-scale confrontation with Israel. Gen. Brown added that Iran would be more willing to extend support to Hezbollah than Hamas in Gaza, “particularly if [Iran] felt that Hezbollah was being significantly threatened.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed support for a diplomatic solution along the Israel-Lebanon border and willingness to resolve the tensions “in a different way,” if necessary. “We can fight on several fronts and we are prepared to do that,” Netanyahu said on June 23.