There are intensive political and security contacts with Hezbollah, led by Speaker Nabih Berri, with the aim of reining in any attempt to back Iran militarily should a new war be waged on the Islamic republic, media reports said.

In remarks to the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper, Shiite circles warned that such an involvement would be a “suicidal act” that would make the Shiite sect pay “an existential cost.”