Hezbollah not expecting war with Israel for summer

A senior Hezbollah official has ruled out the possibility of another Israeli war on Lebanon for this summer, but stated that the resistance movement is fully prepared to retaliate against any assault by the regime.

Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem was reacting to reports that Israel is undergoing extensive preparations for a possible conflict with Hezbollah.

“There are no signs that Israel is preparing for a new assault on Lebanon, but if she chooses to do so, she will find that Hezbollah is at maximum readiness,” said Sheikh Qassem in a speech in southern Lebanon on Sunday.
Last week, Israeli daily Jerusalem Post quoted military commander Eren Makov that Tel Aviv was training Israeli throughout northern occupied territories to prepare them for any future conflict with Hezbollah.

“We give them training in what to do and they see it as a contribution,” Makov said.

Qassem also said the ongoing conflict in the Arab countries of Syria, Iraq and Yemen will not be allowed to spread to Lebanon.

Hezbollah fighters are fighting alongside the Syrian government forces against a range of terrorist groups operating in the country, including Daesh and the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front.

The movement has been helping Syrian army forces in Syria to prevent the spillover of the crisis into Lebanon.