Hezbollah says wider war possible if Gaza assault continues; Israel rebuffs US call for humanitarian pause

Israel has struck Gaza from the air, imposed a siege and launched a ground assault, stirring global alarm at humanitarian conditions in the enclave

Palestinians ride by destruction by the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in the Maghazi refugee camp. Picture: AP Photo/Hatem Moussa

The leader of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group warned the United States on Friday that if Israel did not stop its assault on Gaza then the conflict could widen into a regional war.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in his first speech since the Israel-Hamas war erupted on October 7, also threatened the US, Israel's main ally, hinting his Iran-backed paramilitary group was ready to confront US warships in the Mediterranean.