Iran ‘refused’ Hezbollah request to attack Israel

Hezbollah urged Iran to attack Israel but it refused because the “timing isn’t right”, two Israeli officials have said.

The request was denied because Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian president, is in New York for the United Nations general assembly, the officials told US news outlet Axios.

Hezbollah leaders reportedly told Iran to launch the attack as revenge for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’s political leader, in Tehran two months ago.

It came as tensions escalated between Hezbollah and the Israeli military this week, with both sides engaging in a third consecutive day of cross-border rocket attacks.

Mr Pezeshkian told reporters on Monday that Israel was attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon in order to provoke a wider regional war, but stressed that Iran did not want to fall into this “trap”.

A senior Israeli official said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had been told to avoid launching any attacks that would give Iran a reason to join the escalating conflict.

Iran’s top military and political officials have repeatedly vowed to enact revenge for the killing of Hamas’s leader on Iranian soil in July, though a large-scale response is yet to materialise.

In April, Iran launched its first direct attack on Israel, launching a barrage of 350 or more projectiles, mostly intercepted by Israel and a US-led coalition.

Speaking to CNN, the Iranian president this week repeated his country’s support for Hezbollah, blaming the West for supporting Israel as it defended itself in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas terror attacks.

“Hezbollah cannot stand alone against a country that is being defended and supported and supplied by Western countries, by European countries and the United States,” Mr Pezeshkian said.

Hezbollah started attacking Israel a day after Hamas’ terror attack, on Oct 8. Tensions escalated last week when a series of pagers and walkie-talkies exploded, killing dozens of the terror group’s fighters and injuring thousands more.

Israel launched “Operation Northern Arrows” on Monday, which has led to repeated attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. At least 600 people have been killed in the operation, according to the Lebanese health authorities.