Hezbollah: Israel can't fight Iran alone
Israeli attack on Iran would set Mideast ablaze, could drag US in, Hezbollah deputy head says
An Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear program would set the Middle East ablaze, possibly drag in the United States and unleash a conflict beyond the Jewish state's control, the deputy head of Lebanon's pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement said.
"America knows that if there is a war on Iran, this means that the whole region will be set alight, with no limit to the fires," Hezbollah deputy Sheikh Naim Qassem told Reuters.
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"Israel does not have the capability nor the courage to wage war by itself on Iran, while America has reservations because of the dangers of this war and because of the upcoming (presidential) election," he said.
Israel can't fight Iran alone - Qassem (Photo: Reuters)
Qassem also said the movement's fighters, estimated to number several thousand, were better trained and equipped to retaliate against Israel than in 2006, when the Jewish state fought a month-long war in southern Lebanon.
"Gone are the days when Israel decides to strike, and the people are silent," he said.
"Israel could start a war ... but it does not know the scale of the consequences and it is incapable of controlling them."
Qassem with Ahmadinejad (Photo: AP)
US officials have said that non-military pressure such as sanctions on Iran should be given time to work, while Israel has hinted it could launch a pre-emptive strike on Tehran. But Qassam also said he expected Israel might try to overcome US concerns about military action and drag it into conflict with Tehran.
Qassem added that he expected Bashar al-Assad to remain president of Syria despite 11 months of protest in which the United Nations says more than 7,500 people have been killed.
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