Hezbollah chief meets Hamas-Islamic Jihad top leaders to ‘achieve real victory’ in Gaza
The war in the Middle-Eastern region has spiraled following near-daily cross-border fires traded between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.
In the middle of soaring tensions over the Israel-Hamas war and reports of a possible ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, chief of Lebanon-based Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday met Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri and Islamic Jihad chief Ziad al-Nakhala in Beirut. According to Hezbollah's al-Manar TV, the trio discussed their further moves to ‘achieve a real victory for the resistance’ in Gaza.
According to a brief statement after the meeting, the leaders discussed ways to achieve ‘a real victory for the resistance in Gaza and Palestine’ and halt Israel's ‘treacherous and brutal aggression against our oppressed and steadfast people in Gaza and the West Bank’, following with no further details.
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The war in the Middle-Eastern region has spiraled following near-daily cross-border fires traded between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. Both Hezbollah and Hamas are a part of the so-called ‘axis of resistance’ along with other Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian and Iran-backed armed forces in opposition to Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been doubling-down on his warning against Hezbollah reinstating it would be ‘the mistake of its life’ if it started a war with Israel.
As a part of its sustained campaign against Israeli forces in Lebanon, Hezbollah has been carrying out attacks on Israeli civilians in several countries.
Despite having contentions over leading the way for Middle-East's future and backing by Shia and Sunni leaders, both Hezbollah and Hamas have common objective against Israel.
The US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin had last week called for Hezbollah to cease its attacks from southern Lebanon into Israel, according to a readout of a call released Wednesday between him and Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant, Al Arabiya reported.
Austin ordered the deployment of two US aircraft carrier strike groups to the Eastern Mediterranean and the augmentation of fighter jets, the daily reported.
Amid intensifying cross-border firing from Lebanon, the country's Prime Minister Najib Mikati earlier reaffirmed its commitment to the UN resolution adopted after the end of 2006 cross-border raids which resulted in a 34-day war.
The war in the Middle-Eastern region errupted following a shocking rocket attack from Hamas directed at Israel, following terrorising assault across the country's border, claiming at least 1,400 lives and 222 were held hostage.
Meanwhile, Israel has responded with withering air strikes and a near-total land, sea and air blockade of Gaza, where the Hamas-run health ministry says 5,791 people have been killed in the war so far.