Iran warns of regional implications if Israel prolongs war on Gaza after truce

“If the Israeli regime moves to continue and expand the war [on Gaza], the situation in the region will be very different from the one before the ceasefire,” Amirabdollahian said in a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut on Wednesday.

The Iranian foreign minister’s remarks came after Palestinian resistance movement Hamas announced a four-day truce with Israel in the Gaza Strip that will see the cessation of Israeli assaults on the Gaza Strip. The deal will see the release of 50 Israeli war prisoners in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian women and children from the occupying entity’s jails.

Amirabdollahian stated Iran has never sought the expansion of war in the region and will never do so in the future, emphasizing that the regional situation would have changed in case of Tehran’s involvement in the war.

The top diplomat added that the United States should rectify its policy on lending unwaveringly support to the Israeli regime.

He called for the continuation of diplomatic efforts to establish a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, stressing the importance of putting an end to Israel’s atrocities against people in Gaza and declaring a full truce.

For his part, Mikati criticized double standard policies of certain countries and international human rights bodies vis-à-vis the developments in Gaza.

He hailed Iran’s valuable role in implementing measures to end the crisis in Gaza, prevent the spread of war and promote stability in the region since the beginning of Israel’s onslaught against Palestinians on October 7.

The prime minister emphasized the need to boost stability in the region after the ceasefire.

Israel waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm into the occupied territories in response to the occupying regime’s intensified crimes against the Palestinian people.

According to the Gaza-based health ministry, at least 14,500 Palestinians have been killed in the strikes, including over 6,000 children and some 4,000 women, and injured around over 35,000.

Tel Aviv has also imposed a “complete siege” on Gaza, cutting off fuel, electricity, food and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

In a separate meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut on Wednesday, the Iranian foreign minister warned against covert US political plots against Gaza, Hamas and the Palestinian resistance front.

“The Palestinian people and not the US or the Zionist regime [should] determine the fate of Gaza and Palestine,” Amirabdollahian said.

Based on the assessments of American experts, he added, the Tel Aviv regime risked facing an unprecedented collapse after the Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.

The top Iranian diplomat emphasized that the US backed Israel “absolutely and unconditionally” to help the regime achieve its impossible dreams. However, Washington has come to the conclusion that Israel is unable to realize its slogans and that the current situation cannot continue, he continued.

Berri, for his part, praised Iran’s strong support for Palestine and its wise role in the developments in Gaza and slammed Israel for waging a war against hospitals in the besieged Strip.

Despite all Israel’s criminal acts, the Palestinian resistance and people in Gaza succeeded in handling the situation to their own benefit, he stated.