Lebanon must not become “another Gaza”: President Pezeshkian tells CNN

“The danger does exist that the fire of events that are taking place (in Lebanon) will expand to the entire region,” Pezeshkian said.

When asked whether Iran will counsel Hezbollah to restrain itself in its response to Israeli raid, Pezeshkian stressed Hezbollah is facing a regime “armed to the teeth and has access to weapons systems that are far superior to anything else”.

“Hezbollah cannot do that alone. Hezbollah cannot stand alone against Israel that is being defended and supported and supplied by Western countries, European countries, and the United States of America,” he added.

The president warned that events could spiral into a regional conflict, which “can be dangerous for the future of the world and planet Earth itself, so we must prevent the ongoing criminal acts being committed by Israel”.

Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday, killing at least 492 people, including 35 children, and wounding 1,645 others, the health ministry has confirmed.

The escalation comes after intense Israeli strikes last week that killed top Hezbollah commanders in Lebanon. The regime is also accused of detonating pager and handheld radio devices in Lebanon last week, killing at least 37 people and wounding thousands.

Tel Aviv has markedly intensified its attacks against the country since October 7, when it launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip which has so far killed almost 41,500, mostly women and children.

Hezbollah has responded with numerous strikes against the occupied Palestinian territories as a means of both retaliating against the regime and displaying support for the war-hit Gazans.