Iran explicitly warned Israel of possible regional escalation if the Israeli forces were to invade Gaza for a ground invasion as Tel Aviv’s battle with Hamas enters its second week.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said, “If the Zionist [Israel] aggressions do not stop, the hands of all parties in the region are on the trigger.”
On Sunday, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to “demolish Hamas” as his troops prepared to move into Gaza in search of the Islamist terrorists.
#Iran warned #Israel of escalation if it failed to end aggressions against #Palestinians, with its foreign minister saying other parties in the region were ready to act, the semi-official Fars news agency reportedhttps://t.co/T601utSmPN
— Economic Times (@EconomicTimes) October 16, 2023
Iran Warns Israel
Since the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas started an unprecedented attack within Israeli territory on 7 October, Israeli air strikes have killed over 2,670 people, a quarter of which were children, and injured almost 10,000 others in Gaza, turning it into a horrific humanitarian catastrophe.
Amirabdollahian, who accused Israel of committing “genocide” by retaining its siege on the Gaza Strip last week, said that an attack on Gaza would “open new fronts of resistance” in the Middle East.
He added, “The responsibility for the possible opening of new fronts of resistance in the region and any escalation of today’s war directly falls on the US and the Zionist regime [Israel].”
The Iranian FM told a media source on Sunday, “If the measures aimed at immediately stopping the Israeli attacks that are killing children in the Gaza Strip end in a deadlock, it is highly probable that many other fronts will be opened. This option is not ruled out and this is becoming increasingly more probable.”
Terrorist convention this morning in Beirut: Iranian FM @Amirabdolahian met with senior Hamas and PIJ terrorists, to make sure that the Iranian Regime’s bloodthirsty proxies continue to plan inhumane attacks and murder innocent Israelis.
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 13, 2023
These evil murderers will all be held… pic.twitter.com/PqsxSye1Te
Amirabdollahian met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar on Saturday, where they reviewed the group’s deadly attack in Israel “and agreed to continue cooperation” to achieve the group’s aims, as per the statement issued by the Iran-backed Hamas.
“I want to warn the war criminals and those who support this entity before it’s too late to stop the crimes against civilians in Gaza, because it might be too late in a few hours,” the Iranian FM asserted.
The Iranian minister intends to reach out to the UN officials in the Middle East because “there is still an opportunity to work on an initiative (to end the war), but it might be too late tomorrow.”
Earlier, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, in a phone conversation with his counterpart Emmanuel Macron, requested France to assist “prevent oppression” of Palestinians.
VIDEO | Hezbollah attacks an Israeli army post in the vicinity of Alma al-Shaab, on the border between Lebanon and Israel.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 15, 2023
(Source: EFE/PTI)#IsrealPalestineconflict pic.twitter.com/yHvbXiR2Pm
Hezbollah Attacks Israel
Reports suggest that Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah is considered Israel’s most significant immediate danger, as it has an estimated 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles capable of striking any place in Israel.
Following an attack by Hamas, which killed hundreds of Israeli citizens and troops, Hezbollah militants have been on high alert throughout Lebanon’s borders with Israel.
The Israeli military said on Saturday that an Israeli drone attack near the border with Lebanon killed a “cell” attempting to infiltrate Israel. Hezbollah said on Friday that its militants launched numerous missiles at four Israeli locations near the border.
On Sunday, Hezbollah launched six anti-tank guided missiles against an Israeli town and military posts near the Lebanon border, killing one civilian and one soldier.
The group claimed responsibility for the attacks, which it said were in retaliation to prior Israeli strikes in Lebanon. Additionally, the recent Israeli strikes were allegedly in response to previous attacks by Hezbollah and some Palestinian organisations.
Hezbollah has stated that it is “fully prepared” to assist its Palestinian ally Hamas in the war against Israel when the time is right.