This announcement comes as daily clashes have pitted Hezbollah against Israel on Lebanon’s southern border since the outbreak of this war nearly three weeks ago and fears of a regional conflagration are growing.
Hezbollah did not specify the date or location of the meeting between its secretary general Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas number two Saleh al-Arouri, and Islamic Jihad leader Ziad al-Nakhala.
A “joint operations” center with Islamic Jihad and the Al-Quds Force
The three men reviewed “the latest events in the Gaza Strip since the start of Operation al-Aqsa Flood”, the bloody attack launched by Hamas on Israeli territory on October 7 which sparked the war .
They discussed “what the parties of the axis of resistance must do at this critical stage to enable victory (..) in Gaza and Palestine” and “stop the savage aggression” of Israel, further indicated the text.
Since well before the October 7 attack, Hamas and Hezbollah have constituted a “joint operations” center with Islamic Jihad and the Al-Quds Force, the elite unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. , according to sources close to Hezbollah.
52 dead on the Lebanese side
The three formations are part of the pro-Iranian “axis of resistance” opposed to Israel and coordinate their actions with other Palestinian, Syrian, Iraqi and other factions. The meeting also discussed “the ongoing confrontation at the Lebanese borders.” Since the October 7 attack, daily clashes have pitted Hezbollah and its allies against Israeli forces on Lebanon’s southern border.
This violence left 52 dead on the Lebanese side, including four civilians, 39 fighters from Hezbollah, and nine from organizations allied to it, according to a new count from AFP, Hezbollah having announced on Wednesday the death of two of its members .
220 Israeli, foreign or binational hostages
Four people were killed on the Israeli side of the border. However, the clashes remain limited for the moment, as do Israeli bombings on border villages in southern Lebanon.
According to Israel, more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Hamas attacks and some 220 Israeli, foreign or binational hostages were identified. Four hostages were released.
In the Gaza Strip, more than 5,791 people have been killed, including 2,360 children, since the start of the war, according to Hamas, the Islamist movement which has controlled this Palestinian territory since 2007.