Hezbollah congratulates Hamas but takes careful stance

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah congratulated Hamas militants on the incursion into Israeli territory from Gaza, but issued a carefully-worded statement which suggests they are currently backing away from any further involvement, tamping down on concerns they could fire weaponry into Israel via its northern border.

In a statement issued via the Hezbollah-linked news outlet Al Manar, the group said they are “closely keeping pace with the important developments on the Palestinian scene and following conditions in the field with great interest,” adding that they remain “in direct contact,” with the leadership of Palestinian armed groups in order to assess ongoing events.

The statement also described the incursion as a message against normalisation to the international community, particularly those seeking diplomatic relations with Israel.

This is likely an oblique reference to countries in the Gulf, particularly Saudi Arabia which has been in the early stages of talks with the United States to discuss a potential peace deal with Israel.

Saudi Arabia calls for halt to escalation

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it is closely following developments and called for an immediate halt to the escalation.

The Saudi ministry underscored repeated warnings about the occupation and reiterated a call for a credible peace process.

Adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader expresses support for Palestinian attacks

An adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday congratulated Palestinian fighters for launching the biggest attack on Israel in years, the semi-official ISNA news site reported.

“We congratulate the Palestinian fighters,” it quoted Yahya Rahim Safavi as saying. “We will stand by the Palestinian fighters until the liberation of Palestine and Jerusalem.”

In a surprise assault, Palestinian group Hamas crossed into several Israeli towns on Saturday with a heavy barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.

Iran’s state television showed parliament members rising from their seats on Saturday to chant “Death to Israel” and “Palestine is victorious, Israel will be destroyed”.