Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, cautioned Israel that if its aggressive actions against Palestinians persist, other regional actors are prepared to respond, as reported by the semi-official Fars news agency on Sunday.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Sunday to “demolish Hamas” as the military geared up to enter the Gaza Strip to hunt down Islamist militants, whose recent deadly attacks in Israeli border towns have reverberated globally.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei clarified on Tuesday that Tehran played no role in the militant Hamas group’s assault on Israel. He, however, celebrated what he termed as Israel’s “irreparable” military and intelligence setback. While Israel has repeatedly accused Iran’s clerical leaders of fueling violence by providing arms to Hamas, Tehran maintains that it offers moral and financial backing to the group controlling the Gaza Strip.
Support for the Palestinian cause has remained a cornerstone of Iran’s foreign policy since the 1979 revolution, bolstering its position as a leading voice in the Muslim world. Amirabdollahian, who recently accused Israel of pursuing “genocide” through the Gaza Strip siege, warned that an attack on Gaza would “ignite new fronts of resistance” in the Middle East.
“The United States and the Zionist regime (Israel) bear direct responsibility for any potential escalation of today’s conflict and the potential emergence of new fronts of resistance in the region,” Amirabdollahian emphasized.
During a meeting in Qatar, Amirabdollahian and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh discussed the group’s recent attack in Israel and agreed to sustain cooperation in pursuit of their shared objectives, as per a statement from the Iran-backed Hamas.
Additionally, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi urged France in a phone call with President Emmanuel Macron to assist in “preventing the oppression” of Palestinians.
