Hezbollah's chief says terror group is 'fully prepared' to join Hamas war against Israel during Lebanon rally
13 October 2023, 16:40 | Updated: 13 October 2023, 17:31
The leader of Lebanon-based terror group Hezbollah has said they are “fully prepared” to join Hamas in its war against Israel.
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It comes as an estimated 300,000 Israeli reservists readied themselves near the Gaza border, with Israel warning residents in the north of the country to brace for a possible incursion from Lebanon.
Tensions have continued to escalate since Saturday's surprise attack from Hamas which killed more than 1,300 Israeli citizens, including women and babies.
Israel responded by bombing populated areas of the Gaza strip believed to be harbouring Hamas fighters, killing an estimated 1,500 Palestinians.
Deputy Chief Naim Qassem spoke at a rally in front of supporters of Hamas, with people in the crowd waving the Palestinian and Hezbollah flags as they chanted “Death to Israel”.
Vowing that Lebanon would join in the fight “when the time comes for action”, Qassem rallied supporters in the nation's capital, Beirut.
He added that Arab nations, alongside the UN, had "directly and indirectly" told Hezbollah "not to interfere" in the conflict.
They are said to have urged foreign nationals to remain out of the conflict - which Hamas has already labelled a "war".
The rally came as Hezbollah’s leader, met with Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Friday in Beirut to discuss the ongoing situation.
“The behind-the-scenes calls with us by great powers, Arab countries, envoys of the United Nations, directly and indirectly, telling us not to interfere will have no effect,” Qassem said.
Adding: “Hezbollah knows its duties perfectly well,” he continued. “We are prepared and ready, fully ready, and we are following developments moment by moment.”
Qassem's comments followed those of Israel's defence minister, Yoav Gallant, who labelled Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran an "axis of evil".
Read more: Anti-Semitic hate soars in London as police vow to stop 'celebrations of terrorism or death'
"Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas is one axis, an axis of evil. Everything is decided generally from Iran," he said.
It comes as the conflict between Hamas and Israel continues to escalate, with Israel warning residents in the north of a possible incursion over the Lebanon border.
Military officials in the country are said to be preparing for an all-out ground assault, as troops gather near the Gaza Strip following Saturday's surprise attacks by Hamas.
Israel has now ordered the evacuation of 1.1 million people from northern Gaza in just 24 hours as Rishi Sunak urges PM Benjamin Netanyahu to protect civilians.
The order, which was delivered to the UN, comes as Israel presses an offensive against Hamas.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric called the order "impossible" without "devastating humanitarian consequences".
Police have said the levels of hate crimes in the UK have sky-rocketed since the start of the conflict, with incidents rising 650% from last year.
Highlighting a number of cases, the most notable include German military music being played outside synagogues and people laughing at the killings.
It comes as counter terror cops have arrested a 22-year-old woman after a University of Sussex student was filmed describing Hamas's attack against Israel "beautiful and inspiring".
