Hezbollah chief meets Palestinian faction leaders amid tension in West Bank

By Mohammed Abudoun

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Secretary-General of Lebanese group Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah held talks in Beirut on Saturday with leaders of Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad to discuss Palestinian developments.

The meeting, attended by Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri and Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah, assessed the situation in the occupied West Bank and Israeli threats against the Palestinian resistance, Hamas said in a statement.

The discussions also took up “the importance of coordination between the resistance movements, especially in Palestine and Lebanon, on all political, security and military developments,” the statement said.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened that Hamas leaders will pay the "full price" amid rising tensions in the occupied West Bank.

His threat came one day after al-Arouri said the Israeli government will suffer a “resounding defeat, which would lead to their withdrawal from the entire West Bank.”

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank in recent months amid repeated Israeli raids into Palestinian towns.

More than 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the start of this year, according to the Health Ministry. At least 35 Israelis have also been killed in Palestinian attacks during the same period, the highest toll since 2005.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi