[By Guancha Observer, Shao Yun]

On June 20, Al-Jadeed TV reported that a source who recently spoke with Nabih Berri, Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, said that Berri "is convinced" that Hezbollah will not intervene in the conflict between Iran and Israel. Naim Qassem, leader of Hezbollah, previously stated that Hezbollah "will not remain neutral," which was described as a principled stance.

US Special Envoy for Syria, Thomas Balak, visited Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, on June 19 to meet with President Joseph Aoun of Lebanon and others including Berri. According to reports, Balak warned after the meeting that it would be "a very bad decision" if Hezbollah were to get involved in the Iran-Israel conflict. He also emphasized that the US is committed to helping Lebanon through its current crisis, stressing that Hezbollah's involvement would only worsen the already volatile regional situation.

On the same day, Berri told MTV Lebanon that Lebanon "200% will not go to war," as Lebanon has no interest in doing so and would pay the price. He added: "Iran does not need us; Israel needs support." Later in the evening, Qassem issued a statement saying that Hezbollah will not "remain neutral" in the Iran-Israel conflict and will "take appropriate actions" in response to Israel's "brutal aggression."

However, Berri does not believe Qassem's statement is meant to contradict his own remarks. The aforementioned source told Al-Jadeed that Berri was surprised by the interpretation of Qassem's speech as a response to his comments. The source noted that Berri believes Qassem's remarks are merely an expression of support for Iran and do not imply Hezbollah's participation in armed conflict.

Photo: Berri Visual China

Since Israel launched a large-scale air strike on June 13, which prompted Iranian retaliation, the military conflict between both sides has lasted for a week.

According to US media reports, US President Trump approved the military strike plan against Iran on the evening of June 17 but postponed making a final decision to observe whether Iran would abandon its nuclear program. The White House said on June 18 that Trump will decide within "the next two weeks" whether to order a US military strike against Iran. Trump also posted several times on social media on June 17, stating that "our patience has run out," demanding that Iran "surrender unconditionally."

Iran, however, said that it does not seek war but must defend its country and punish aggressors. Any talk of Iran surrendering is a serious misunderstanding. On June 18, Al Jazeera reported that an anonymous senior Iranian official said that if the US intervenes militarily in the Iran-Israel conflict, Hezbollah will take action, and the US will face unprecedented threats from naval vessels.

Local time June 2025, Tel Aviv, Israel, a missile is intercepted in mid-air. Previously, Iran launched a new round of missiles. Visual China

So far, Hezbollah, believed by the West to be supported by Iran, has condemned Israeli actions but has not taken any actual military actions to support Iran. For this, Al Jazeera commented that some analysts believe that Hezbollah suffered significant damage in last year's conflict with Israel and its combat capabilities have been limited, making it potentially unable to intervene in the Iran-Israel war.

Other analyses suggest that the political situation in Lebanon also makes it difficult for Hezbollah to participate in Iran's retaliatory actions. After a ceasefire agreement was reached between Hezbollah and Israel last November, the new Lebanese government advocated addressing Hezbollah's arms issue through dialogue at an "appropriate time," emphasizing that national regular armies should monopolize the use of force. However, analysts said that if a new round of conflict breaks out, this strategy of the Lebanese government may change.

On the other hand, reports say that some political analysts supportive of Hezbollah believe that there is currently no need for Hezbollah to intervene, as Iran's missiles are sufficient to deal with Israel's actions. Earlier this week, Mahmoud Kammiti, deputy chairman of Hezbollah's Political Committee, denied that Hezbollah would intervene in the conflict. He said, "Iran is strong enough and does not need anyone's military support."

This article is an exclusive article by the Guancha Observer and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7518051889901077026/

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