Iran insisted yesterday that it will not be a mere "spectator" of the possible outrages in Gaza by Israel, its archenemy, and warned again about the possibility of the conflict spreading throughout the region. “It cannot be that Iran remains a spectator in the situation,” said the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hosein Amir Abdolahian, in an interview with the Qatari channel Al Jazeera.
The head of Iranian diplomacy thus summarized his country's position at the end of an ambitious regional tour that has taken him to Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Qatar to discuss the war in Palestine.
Tehran's message in recent hours is clear and threatening, against the background of Iranian influence on the Hizbullah militias in southern Lebanon. Thus, Foreign Minister Abdolahian warned in Doha, the capital of Qatar, that the possibility of opening other fronts in the war "increases every hour" if the aggressions in Gaza are not stopped. “All scenarios are on the table,” he said.
The Iranian threat also reached the United States. The diplomatic representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran assured that, if the conflict expands in the region, "the United States will also suffer great losses." A message that Minister Abdolahian has repeated in one way or another at his stops in Baghdad, Beirut, Damascus and Doha, while the death toll in Gaza continues to increase and warlike exchanges between Israel and Lebanon intensify.
On this tour, Minister Abdolahian has held meetings with his regional allies and leaders of groups belonging to the so-called Resistance axis, an alliance led by Iran and made up of Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese militant organizations, among which Hizbullah stands out.
In a meeting with the emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, Iranian Foreign Minister Abdolahian warned that “no one can guarantee control of the situation and that the conflict does not expand.” The stopover in Qatar made it possible to convey Persian congratulations to the head of the political bureau of the Islamist movement Hamas, Ismail Haniye, for the Palestinian “victories.”
“Support for the Palestinian cause is a religious, humanitarian and moral duty,” Abdolahian told Haniye. Tehran “will continue its attempts to stop Israeli war crimes,” she said. A day earlier, she had warned in Beirut that the members of the so-called Resistance axis have their “fingers on the trigger ready to shoot” and will act at the “opportune” moment if Israeli crimes in Gaza continue.
The Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel are bitter enemies, they pose a mutual existential threat, compete for regional hegemony and maintain a covert war with cyberattacks, assassinations and sabotage.
In this shadow conflict and to expand its regional influence, Tehran supports groups such as the Lebanese Hizbullah, the Palestinian Hamas movement, the Islamic Jihad and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
In view of the elevated tone used by the Persian leaders, French President Emmanuel Macron telephoned his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, last night to warn him of the temptation to "escalate or extend the conflict, especially to Lebanon." The Elysée frames this warning to the Iranian president taking into account “his relations with Hizbullah and Hamas. “Iran has to do everything possible to prevent a deflagration in the region.” The Iranian threats were received in Tel Aviv with apparent indifference. Israel is prepared and has the capacity to fight on two fronts, according to the Israeli army spokesman. However, the Israeli Defense Minister himself, Yoav Gallant, declared yesterday: "We are not interested in a war in the north, nor do we want an escalation of the situation." But if Hizbullah chooses the path of war, “they will pay a very high price.” Exchanges of fire and hostilities on the Israel-Lebanon border increased yesterday.
