During a visit to Lebanon to discuss the conflict between Hamas and Israel, the Iranian foreign minister warned that the continuation of crimes against Palestinians will receive a response from Tehran’s allies in the region.
The Israeli military is pounding Gaza in retaliation for a rampage by the Tehran-backed armed group Hamas in Israel this week that has killed at least 1,300 people. More than 1,500 Palestinians have been killed in the burst of violence. Medical and relief workers are pleading for safe passage for the 2 million civilians in Gaza as Israel imposes a complete siege of the territory controlled by Hamas.
As Israel is preparing for a possible ground offensive in Gaza, the country’s political and military leaders are nervously watching the Iranian-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border and have sent troop reinforcements to the area.
On October 13 in Beirut, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian discussed the conflict with the head of Hezbollah and Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
He warned that the United States’ unlimited support for Israel will further aggravate the situation, adding: “Some are worried about the spread of war in the region and the emergence of new fronts.”
Upon his arrival in the Lebanese capital the previous day, Amir-Abdollahian said: "Some Western officials have questioned if there is an intention to open a new front against the Zionist entity. Of course, in light of the continuation of these circumstances that are war crimes.”
"The continuation of war crimes against Palestine and Gaza will receive a response from the rest of the axis. And naturally, the Zionist entity and its supporters will be responsible for the consequences of that," he added.
The Axis of Resistance refers to an informal alliance among the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Syrian government, Palestinian militant groups, Hezbollah and other factions in the region. Iraqi Shia militias and Yemen’s Houthi rebels are also considered part of the alliance.
The Islamic Republic has made no secret of its backing for Hamas and Hezbollah, funding and arming the groups. The Lebanese militia, with an arsenal of tens of thousands of rockets and missiles capable of hitting virtually anywhere in Israel, is viewed as a far more formidable foe than Hamas.
President Joe Biden pledged unflinching support for Israel and warned the Islamic Republic to "be careful" as the US Navy dispatched six warships headed by the US Navy’s largest and most advanced nuclear aircraft carrier to waters near Israel.
The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post have reported that the Islamic Republic and Revolutionary Guards were deeply involved in planning and preparing the weekend surprise assault on Israel.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei denied that, but he hailed what he called Israel’s "irreparable" military and intelligence defeat.
Thousands of people took to the streets of Tehran on October 13 in a show of support for Palestinians, waving the flags of Palestine and Hezbollah and holding banners that read "Down with America" and "Down with Israel.”
Similar rallies were held in other cities across the country, where flags of the United States and Israel were burned.
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