BEIRUT — Fears of a regional war rose on Thursday after Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement said none of Israel would be spared in a full-blown conflict after the Jewish state said it had approved plans for a Lebanon offensive.

Experts are divided on the prospect of a wider war, almost nine months into Israel's vow to eradicate Hamas, the Palestinian militant group controlling the Gaza Strip.

The renewed concerns came a day after Israel's top army spokesman said Hamas, as an ideology, could not be eliminated. Others, including United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have pointed to the difficulty of destroying the Islamist group.

In a televised address, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said "no place" in Israel would "be spared our rockets" if war began.

The Iran-backed group has exchanged near-daily fire with Israel since Hamas' deadly attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, but the fire from Hezbollah rockets, Israeli warplanes and other weapons has escalated in the past few weeks.

Nasrallah also threatened the nearby island nation of Cyprus if it opened its airports or bases to Israel "to target Lebanon."

Cyprus, a European Union member, is home to two British bases, including an air base, but they are in sovereign British territory and not controlled by the Cypriot government.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides denied his country's involvement in the war and said it was "part of the solution," pointing to its role in a maritime humanitarian corridor to Gaza.

Warplanes from the British air base in Cyprus have, along with US forces, carried out reprisal strikes against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have been attacking shipping in nearby waterways for months.

Hundreds killed

The Gaza war was sparked by the October 7 attacks, which resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, mostly civilians, an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures showed.

Hamas militants also seized hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza, although the army says 41 are dead.

Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 37,396 people, also mostly civilians, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.

The Houthis and Hezbollah both say they are acting in response to Israel's actions in Gaza.

On Tuesday, Israel's military announced that "operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon were approved and validated," and Foreign Minister Israel Katz warned of Hezbollah's destruction in a "total war."

US envoy Amos Hochstein called for an "urgent" de-escalation.

Also on Tuesday, Hezbollah published an over nine-minute video showing drone footage purportedly taken by the movement over northern Israel, including parts of the city and port of Haifa.

Two former Israeli security officials were split on the prospect of wider conflict.

One told AFP there would be an operation in Lebanon "within a few weeks," while another said the government was "more interested in a ceasefire."

The cross-border violence has killed at least 478 people in Lebanon, most of them fighters but also 93 civilians, an AFP tally showed.

Israeli authorities say at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed in the country's north.

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