Anything possible if Israel insists on attacking Gaza: Iran

Speaking at a weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the Gaza-based resistance groups are fighting the occupying Tel Aviv regime on behalf of the entire Palestinian nation.

He criticized the distorted narrative of the Western mainstream media regarding what is happening against the defenseless people of Gaza, stating they seek to exonerate the oppressors and change their place with that of the oppressed.

“Resistance is the [undeniable] right of the Palestinian nation. The Zionist regime has lost the battle, and the latest developments clearly show its resounding defeat in the face of the Palestinian resistance front. In order to make up for the defeat, the regime has employed all means at its disposal against Palestinians,” the diplomat added.

The senior official also described the Israeli actions in Gaza as a war crime, pointing to Israel’s repeated use of internationally-banned weapons against civilians in the enclave as well as its decision to cut off water, food and medicine supplies to the area.

“The world public opinion has awakened. We are witnessing that various nations are significantly throwing their support behind the Palestinian nation. Iran has repeatedly emphasized that the prolongation of the status quo could agitate the atmosphere in the region,” Kanaani noted.

He continued, “If such an inhumane policy persists, all options are possible. The resistance [front] in the region will not close its eyes to the Zionists’ crimes. The continuation of these conditions can endanger regional peace. It is everyone’s responsibility worldwide to confront the actions of the Zionists.”

The spokesperson also argued that Operation al-Aqsa Storm launched by the Gaza Strip-based Palestinian resistance movements was purely indigenous in nature, roundly dismissing baseless US media claims about Iran’s possible involvement as part of attempts to stop the world public opinion from challenging Washington’s unconditional support for Israeli atrocities against Palestinians.

“The dispatch of [US] naval fleet to the region can be best explained as support for injustice. Any party which supports the Zionist regime bears the same level of responsibility, and has to be held accountable before the Palestinian nation.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Kanaani lashed out at certain Arab states over the “unacceptable” normalization of diplomatic ties with Israel, stressing that “Normalization with the Zionist regime will not guarantee security for any party in the region. Those who once deemed that normalization could stop the Zionists’ crimes have now realized that they were mistaken.”

“If they thought they could provide their own security [through normalization], they are now witnessing that the Zionist regime is unable to ensure its own security. The Palestinian nation has demonstrated that it possesses the willpower and prowess to confront the Zionist regime and will not hesitate to take any necessary action.”

“Operation al-Aqsa Storm pulled the plug on normalization of relations with the Zionists,” Kanaani underscored.

The spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry also underlined the Palestinian nation has the right to defend itself, terming the ongoing anti-Israeli operation as a natural response to the regime’s crimes and provocative measures against the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied al-Quds as well as Palestinian prisoners.

Kanaani also stated the bloody scenes coming out of Gaza have exposed the hypocrisy and insincerity of the so-called advocates of human rights more than ever.

The Iranian diplomat finally described the Israeli occupation as the “main cause of crises” in the West Asia region, stating that Palestinians view resistance as their natural right.

Palestinian resistance groups have clearly declared their readiness for a long-term battle against the Israeli military, he continued.