Iran's FM Visits Lebanon: Hezbollah Planning Larger Attacks on Israel? - Analysis
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday, November 23. The diplomat’s visit is important - first of all, it keeps up appearances that Iran and Hezbollah are working closely and that they back Hamas. Iranian regime media outlets said this was the diplomat’s second trip this month. He also traveled to Qatar to meet Hamas leaders, and he has been reaching out to Russia and Turkey.
Additionally, with the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Hezbollah now holds many of the cards regarding further escalation. Hezbollah has threatened Israel since the Hamas attack on October 7 and has used rockets, anti-tank missiles, mortars, and drones to attack Israel. The IDF retaliates after each incident which has led to a kind of equilibrium in the north.
Further, the Houthis in Yemen, an Iran-backed terrorist movement who hijacked a ship this week, are also watching the meeting closely. A member of the movement warned that it would continue its attacks until the “demise of Israel.”
The group also released footage showing Houthi terrorists landing a helicopter on the ship and Houthi ships surrounding the vessel, which they said was linked to Israel. Israel, however, says the seized ship was British-owned and Japanese-operated.
Nonetheless, President Isaac Herzog commented on the hijacking: “If any further proof were needed that Iran’s network of terrorism and chaos is threatening the world, now comes the news that another Iranian proxy force, the Houthi militia of Yemen, has seized a merchant ship in international waters. Armed pirates hijacked the vessel ‘Galaxy Leader,’ en route to India from Turkey through the Red Sea, in broad daylight.” (JPost / VFI News)
“God, we ask that You protect our borders from any foreign enemy and entity that wishes to harm Israel. We pray that their malicious plans will not come to fruition and that instead, such terrorist organizations will become dismantled under Your faithful guidance provided to our defense forces.”