Middle East war: Trump had ‘feeling’ Iran was going to attack US interests, White House says

Hizbollah’s chief has insisted the Iran-backed Shia militant group’s volley of rockets was not what sparked Israel’s offensive in Lebanon.

Rather, Israel would have eventually launched an attack against Hizbollah no matter what, Naim Qassem argued.

“What Israel did after the rocket volley was not a response but rather a pre-prepared aggression,” Qassem said in a televised speech that sought to appeal to a domestic Lebanese audience, many of whom blame Hizbollah for triggering a new war in the country.

Qassem also sought to distance Hizbollah’s battle from Iran, insisting the attack on Israel was primarily a response to Israeli violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon, then listed Khamenei’s killing as one of many other reasons. Many Lebanese are critical of fighting a war on Iran’s behalf.

He dismissed “those who ask about the timing”, saying Hizbollah had run out of patience with ongoing Israeli attacks.