Lavrov: Hezbollah, Lebanon Seek to Avoid War with ’Israel’, But Some Within Entity Seek Conflict

By Staff, Agencies

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement and the Lebanese government do not desire a “full-blown war” with the “Israeli” entity, but “some” within the entity are seeking it.

Speaking at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday, Lavrov expressed concerns that “there’s a suspicion that some circles in ‘Israel’ are trying to achieve just that.”

Lavrov referenced some American and European analysts, emphasizing that “escalation, as the practical developments show, is something which ‘Israel’ is interested in.”

Hezbollah and “Israel” have been exchanging deadly fire since early October, following the entity’s genocidal war on Gaza triggered by a surprise operation from the Palestinian Hamas resistance group.

Hezbollah has vowed to continue its retaliatory operations as long as Tel Aviv persists in its Gaza onslaught.

“Hezbollah has been very much restrained in its actions,” Lavrov noted, adding that its leader, His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, has made several public statements reaffirming this position.

However, Lavrov warned, “there’s an attempt to provoke them into a full-blown engagement.”

According to the Associated Press, “Israeli” airstrikes on southern Lebanon since October have martyred more than 450 people.

“Israeli” media reports indicate that Hezbollah's retaliatory strikes have displaced around 60,000 “Israeli” settlers from the northern parts of the occupied lands.

Lavrov further condemned “Israel’s” actions in Gaza, describing them as crossing the line into “collective punishment” of the territory’s 2.3 million Palestinians.

“One cannot fight against one form of violation through other violations. It's the same principle here,” he stated.

Since October 7, the Tel Aviv entity has martyred about 38,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza.

The United States has supplied “Israel” with more than 10,000 tons of military equipment and has used its veto power against all UN Security Council resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Despite its continued campaign, the occupying entity has so far failed to achieve its two main goals: defeating and eliminating Hamas, and releasing “Israeli” captives.