President Biden’s strong statement of support for Israel could soon be tested as a full scale war is now underway between the Jewish state and Hamas. For now, America’s commander in chief is warning any party “hostile” to the Jewish state against using the moment to act. 

Yet Hezbollah, the terrorist entity that looms over Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, is despite its past trepidation, subtly telegraphing that it may join the battle. That would open a two-front assault at a moment when Israel’s south is still the site of pitched combat, on land and in the air.  

“The United States stands with Israel,” Mr. Biden said in a short televised speech Saturday, with Secretary Blinken standing behind him. “We will never fail to have her back.” Israel, he added, “has a right to defend itself and its people. Full stop.”

The president, speaking from the White House, added that “this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit the situation” by launching an attack similar to the one launched by Hamas. The Iran-backed terrorist group launched a multi-faceted attack from Gaza at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, Israel time. At the latest count, at least 250 Israelis have died. 

A veteran journalist covering Israel’s intelligence community, Yossi Melman, writes on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the United Nations force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, had on Saturday started to evacuate its positions on Israel’s border. That report was posted by other sources as well. 

Untrue, the spokesman for the world body’s secretary general, António Guterres, says. “Peacekeepers are present along the Blue Line to maintain stability and help avoid escalation,” the spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, tells the Sun. “We have also adapted and enhanced our presence throughout our area of operations, including counter rocket-launching capabilities.”

If Hezbollah nevertheless joins forces with Hamas in a coordinated attack by Iranian proxies, an already unprecedentedly bloody massacre of Israeli citizens could reach new heights. That’s because the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terrorist army is far better armed and trained than Hamas.

Hamas, though, possesses rockets that on Saturday managed to find targets as far from Gaza as Tel Aviv. Hezbollah has amassed a number of high-accuracy missiles that can reach any point in Israel. Sites like Ben Gurion airport, the nuclear plant at Dimona, and the defense ministry at Tel Aviv are well protected, but their environs could suffer major damage from a concentrated Hezbollah attack. 

As the president of the northern Israel-based Alma think tank, Sarit Zehavi, reports, several motorcyclists showed up Saturday evening across the border from Israel’s northernmost town of Metula, firing up in the air.

IDF forces fired shots in their direction, chasing them away. “The fact that an insignificant event becomes viral on all Hezbollah-affiliated social media should be of great concern,” Ms Zehavi wrote on X.

As yet, Ms. Zehavi tells the Sun, the northern border is mostly quiet. Yet, several reports, including from Egypt, insist that Hezbollah’s chief, Hassan Nasrallah, has sent messages that his army would join Hamas if Israel decided to invade Gaza. 

Addressing the nation Saturday evening, Prime Minister Netanyahu, who was visibly shaken, vowed that the unprecedented Hamas attack would never be repeated and said that “everyplace where Hamas resides will turn into rubble.” Military analysts say it’s hard to imagine that the IDF could refrain from entering the strip in full force. 

Despite enmity between several Arab countries and Iran, most Arab capitals, including those that have full relations with Israel, have refrained from denouncing Hamas. Mr. Biden said he has talked with several Arab leaders, but as yet, none other than Morocco condemned the unprovoked Hamas attack on civilians. 

Despite reports that an America-brokered pact between Saudi Arabia and Israel is growing near, Riyadh issued a statement that all but blamed the Jewish state for the war. “The Kingdom recalls its repeated warnings of the danger of the explosion of the situation as a result of the continued occupation” and “the deprivation of the Palestinian people of their legitimate rights,” it said. 

Meanwhile the United Nations Security Council is expected to convene Sunday for an emergency session. As of yet, most western countries, as well as the UN’s Mr. Guterres, have expressed sympathy for the embattled Jewish state. Yet it is difficult to imagine such sustained international sympathy once  Israel actually launches a counterattack, which could involve a protracted effort to subdue Gaza.