United States has been attempting to open communications with Hezbollah

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hizballah movement, says the United States has been attempting to open communications with his group despite imposing new sanctions against its leaders.

The administration of Donald Trump “is seeking to open channels of communication to Hizballah in Lebanon through mediators.... These are the American pragmatists," Nasrallah told Hizballah’s Al-Manar TV on July 12 without elaborating.

In the same interview, Nasrallah said that should war break out between Washington and Tehran, U.S. ally Israel would not be considered a “neutral” country and that it could be attacked by Iran.

He said that "Iran is able to bombard Israel with ferocity and force."

"When the Americans understand that this war could wipe out Israel, they will reconsider," Nasrallah said.