Hezbollah Pledges Neutrality in Potential Iran-Israel Conflict

Hezbollah has conveyed a message to Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri stating it will not intervene on Iran's behalf if a new war erupts between Iran and Israel, according to a report by Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat. Berri reportedly relayed this commitment to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

Concurrently, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh, during a recent visit to Beirut, informed members of parliament affiliated with Hezbollah and the Amal movement that Tehran would not request Hezbollah's involvement in the event of a U.S. attack, asserting Iran's capability to handle such a situation independently. "We have made significant progress in our preparations to prevent the United States from achieving its goals," Khatibzadeh was quoted as saying.

Lebanese parliamentary sources explained to the newspaper that the decision stems partly from the power disparity between Hezbollah and Israel, suggesting Hezbollah's intervention would not alter the conflict's outcome. Another factor cited is concern over backlash from Lebanon's Shiite public, as Hezbollah is reportedly struggling with the aftermath of previous fighting, and further involvement for Iran could provoke strong opposition even from its support base.

This commitment follows a previous conflict round where Hezbollah had assured Berri of non-intervention but later fired rockets at Israel, causing a trust crisis between the organization and the Amal movement after Berri had already conveyed the commitment to Lebanese leadership.

However, the Iranian Embassy in Lebanon issued a statement on Saturday denying reports concerning Khatibzadeh's visit and the content of his meetings. The report emerges amidst escalating tensions between Iran and the United States. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called for renewed negotiations with Washington, while U.S. President Donald Trump warned of potential further military action if Tehran does not agree to a deal.