Hizbullah: Israeli attack on Iran would “ignite the region”

Sheikh Naim Qassem, the number two man in Lebanon’s Hizbullah, told Reuters on Wednesday that any Israeli strike on Iran would spin out of control and “ignite the region.”

Qassem said that the Shiite party-militia’s stance toward Israel is “defensive.” But he was clearly warning that a strike on Iran would not remain a bilateral issue between Israel and Iran.

Meanwhile, Burhan Ghalioun, the leader of the opposition Syrian National Council, backtracked on earlier statements and attempted to reassure Hizbullah that if the SNC came to power and ousted President Bashar al-Assad, it would not cut off Hizbullah.

The changed SNC stance might be explained in part by the SNC’s allegations that Hizbullah is patrolling the Lebanese-Syrian border and not letting Sunni fighters move back and forth or infiltrate arms into Syria.