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The leaders of the Hezbollah and Hamas movements held a meeting in Lebanon’s capital Beirut on Sunday. The intention was to discuss the readiness of the “axis of resistance against Israel”, according to a statement from Hezbollah.
Ismail Haniyeh, who leads the Palestinian Hamas that rules the Gaza Strip, arrived in Beirut already on Wednesday.
Israel accuses Hamas of firing 34 rockets from southern Lebanon – where Hezbollah has its strongholds – at Israel the following day.
During Haniyeh’s meeting with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, cooperation between Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian and other Iran-backed groups that have in common that they are in conflict with Israel was discussed, writes AFP.
Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, is labeled a terrorist by, among others, the EU. Hezbollah, which is an Islamist Shia Muslim movement in Lebanon with close ties to Iran, is labeled a terrorist by the United States. The movement’s armed branch is also labeled a terrorist by the EU.