The statement put Rajji in the crosshairs of Hezbollah supporters, with several prominent figures releasing statements condemning the Foreign Minister and his statement during the interview.
LEBANESE FOREIGN MINISTER Youssef Rajji attends a press conference during his Syrian couterpart Asaad Al-Shibani’s first official visit since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, at the foreign ministry in Beirut, Lebanon, October 10, 2025.(photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR)ByTZVI JASPERUpdated: Youssef Rajji, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lebanon, said that “so long as Hezbollah is not completely disarmed, Israel has the right to continue its attacks,” in an interview with Sky News, N12 reported on Wednesday.
The statement put Rajji in the crosshairs of Hezbollah supporters, with several prominent figures releasing statements condemning the Foreign Minister and his statement during the interview.
Lebanese pro-Hezbollah newspaper Al Akhbar published a piece describing Rajji as the “speaker of the enemy in the government,” and called for the Lebanese Prime Minister and President to take action against him.
Hezbollah supporters attend a ceremony held by Hezbollah to commemorate the first anniversary of their late leader Hassan Nasrallah’s killing by Israel, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, September 27, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR)
“He did not hesitate to turn the Foreign Ministry into a mobile mouthpiece for distraction, using diplomatic hybrid language which addresses the other side using rhetoric and not political speech,” Al Akhbar said. “There is no point in warning him, or directing his attention away, because the whole Foreign Ministry is no longer Lebanese in its rhetoric or role.”
Hezbollah member of Parliament stands gainst Rajji
Ali Ammar, a Hezbollah member of the Lebanese Parliament, also denounced Rajji, calling him “a resonant political, national, and moral failure.”
Ammar also urged the Prime Minister and President to take a stand against Rajji’s words.
The officials are concerned that the Iranian regime is not yet weak enough to be effectively ended through US strikes.
US President Donald Trump speaks at the Detroit Economic Club in Detroit, Michigan, US, January 13, 2026.(photo credit: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo)ByDANYA SAPERSTEINUpdated: President Trump has said he would not want to bring the US into a war in Iran that could last weeks or months, NBC reported early Thursday morning, citing two people familiar with the discussions and a person close to the White House.
Trump wants any US strike to be a “definitive” blow, according to one of the people familiar with the discussions.
However, his advisers were unable to guarantee a total collapse of the regime after a US military strike, and there is concern that the US may not have all the assets it would need to defend against Iranian retaliation in the region.
Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran on January 9, 2026. The nationwide protests started in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar against the failing economic policies in late December, which spread to universities and other cities (credit: MAHSA/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Preparation may be underway
Trump has had multiple military options prepared and presented to him in recent days, with senior administration officials meeting to discuss military goals for potential strikes and the cost of Iranian retaliation, specifically on US forces and allies such as Israel in the region.
On Wednesday, hundreds of US troops were moved from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, one of the locations thought to be under threat, should Iran decide to attack US forces.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Trump told reporters that he had been told that the killings in Iran had stopped. When asked whether that meant military action is off the table, Trump responded, “We’re going to watch and see what the process is.”
“All the signals are that a US attack is imminent, but that is also how this administration behaves to keep everyone on their toes,” a Western military official said.
Iranian missiles are displayed at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps(IRGC) Aerospace Force Museum in Tehran, Iran, November 12, 2025(photo credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)ByDANYA SAPERSTEIN, JERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERSUpdated: Iran temporarily closed its airspace early on Thursday morning, issuing a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) to all flights except international ones to and from Iran with official permission, as Western military officials say US military action in the country is “imminent.”
Flight tracker websites showed the airspace over Iran and Iraq emptying rapidly prior to the NOTAM’s issuing. The prohibition was scheduled to last a little over two hours and end at around 2:30 a.m. Israel time, but was later extended to 5:00 a.m. Israel time.
India’s largest airline, IndiGo, said some of its international flights were impacted by Iran’s sudden airspace closure. A flight by Russia’s Aeroflot bound for Tehran returned to Moscow after the closure, according to tracking data from Flightradar24.
Shortly before the NOTAM was issued, US President Donald Trump held a press conference in the Oval Office, in which he said he was told that the killings in Iran were “stopping.”
When asked if the US was still considering military action, Trump answered, “We’re going to watch and see what the process is.”
A screengrab from Flightradar24.com shows airspace over Iran and Iraq emptying of aircraft, January 15, 2025 (credit: SCREENSHOT/FLIGHTRADAR24.COM)
Earlier on Wednesday, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran warned regional countries that it would strike US military bases in those countries in case of a US attack.
