The leader of the Hezbollah terror group held a meeting with senior officials from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad Saturday, Israel's Channel 13 reported. This comes during a period of escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, a group known to be backed by the regime in Iran.
The report stated that Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, convened in Beirut with Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy politburo head of Hamas, and Ziyad al-Nakhala, the secretary general of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
In a statement reportedly released after the meeting, the three individuals emphasized their “permanent and firm position” against “the Zionist enemy, toward the occupation, and toward the importance of coordination and daily contact between the resistance movements."
Iran Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was reported to have visited Lebanon last week and held a meeting with Nasrallah, further underlining Iran's involvement in the region.
The gathering took place approximately one week following a stern warning from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who cautioned Iran-backed militant groups in the region that they would face severe consequences for any acts of terrorism targeting Israelis.
Referring to recent upticks in terror attacks directed towards Israel, Netanyahu stated that “Hamas and the other Iranian proxies understand very well that we will fight with all means against their attempts to use terrorism against us."
On August 31, the United Nations Security Council voted to extend the mandate of its peacekeeping force along the Israel-Lebanon border area, referred to as UNIFIL.
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