Hezbollah warns US war on Iran would set Middle East ablaze as Trump signals military option and USS Abraham Lincoln enters region. Photos: X.
War clouds in the Middle East are looming. As the US President continues to threaten action against Iran, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has warned that any war against Tehran would set the entire region ablaze, vowing to confront what he described as US threats against Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Speaking amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran, Qassem said intermediaries had warned Hezbollah that it could itself become a target as part of a broader US-Israeli military operation against Iran.
“A war on Iran will ignite the region,” Qassem said, underscoring the potential for wider conflict if hostilities break out.
The warning comes days after US President Donald Trump announced that an American “armada” was moving toward the Gulf, saying Washington was closely monitoring Iran following a violent crackdown on protesters.
Although Trump had earlier appeared to step back from the prospect of military intervention, he later insisted that such action remained an option. For the first time, he also appeared to publicly call for the removal of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In response to what it described as escalating threats, Hezbollah called on its supporters to gather on Monday in its strongholds across Lebanon to express solidarity with Iran.
The group urged supporters to demonstrate “in the face of American-Zionist sabotage and threats.”
In Beirut’s southern suburbs, demonstrators carried portraits of Khamenei, waved Hezbollah and Iranian flags, and chanted slogans including “death to America.”
Addressing supporters at the rallies, Qassem dismissed the violence seen during recent protests in Iran, blaming it on “infiltrators” allegedly planted by enemies of the Islamic Republic.
He warned that any harm to Iran’s supreme leader would have global consequences.
“Assassinating Imam Khamenei would assassinate stability in the region and the world,” Qassem said.
He added that Khamenei’s supporters regard him as “the deputy of the infallible” Imam Mehdi, a Shiite Muslim messianic figure.
“When Trump threatens Imam Khamenei, he threatens tens of millions who follow his leadership, and it’s our duty to confront this threat by any means,” Qassem said.
As political tensions intensified, the United States Navy confirmed that the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG-3) arrived on Monday in the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility after being redirected from operations in the Indo-Pacific.
The flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3, the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), transited the Strait of Malacca on January 19. The carrier has been escorted by the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen, Jr. (DDG-121), USS Spruance (DDG-111) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112).
CSG-3 was ordered to the Middle East in response to ongoing tensions with Iran.
Confirming the deployment, CENTCOM said in a post on X that the carrier strike group’s presence was intended “to promote regional security and stability.”
USS Abraham Lincoln departed San Diego in late November 2025 and initially operated in the Philippine Sea before making a port call at the US territory of Guam on December 11.
Just two weeks ago, CVN-72 was conducting flight operations and live-fire drills in the South China Sea when the decision was taken to redirect the carrier to the Middle East.
This marks the third time that Carrier Strike Group 3 has been deployed to the Indo-Pacific only to be diverted to the Middle East due to regional instability.
USS Abraham Lincoln will also be the first US Navy aircraft carrier to operate in the region since USS Nimitz (CVN-68) departed Middle Eastern waters in September.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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