Iran's president warns Israel after meeting Hamas, Hezbollah leaders

Leaders from Lebanon's Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Yemen's Houthi movement held a number of meetings on Monday evening and Tuesday with the new Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, in Tehran.

Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh, Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziad al-Nakhalah, and Houthi spokesman Mohammad Abdul Salam are currently in Tehran, along with other foreign delegations, to take part in Pezeshkian's swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday evening.

On Monday, the Iranian president met with Qassem, during which he praised Hezbollah's "resistance" in the face of Israel's attacks.

"Supporting and fighting for the victory of the resistance is a legitimate duty and one of the principled and firm policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran," stated Pezeshkian, according to the Iranian presidency's official website.

Pezeshkian also called for unity among Islamic countries in the face of Israel's continued occupation of the West Bank and war on Gaza, adding that if these countries had preserved their unity and acted as "one hand, the Zionist entity and its backers would never have dared commit such crimes against the Palestinian people".

He also said that Israel's horrific crimes in Gaza were a "stain on the record of human rights advocates".

Israel had received military and diplomatic support from the US and other Western countries in its war on Gaza.

Pezeshkian emphasised that strengthening relations and cooperation with Muslim countries and communities were priorities for his government's foreign policy.

In futher talks on Monday evening, Pezeshkian met with Islamic Jihad's Nakhalah and affirmed that Iran's support for the Palestinian cause would continue without change despite a new government coming to power in Tehran..

On Tuesday morning Hamas leader Hniyeh spoke with the president before the inauguration ceremony, but details of the meeting were not made public.

Also on Tuesday, Kamal Kharrazi, head of Iran's Strategic Council for Foreign Relations, accused Israel of aiming to expand the war in the region by blaming Hezbollah for the attack on Majdal Shams last Saturday, according to Iran's state-run Mehr News Agency.

He labelled the Israeli claims a "conspiracy", adding, "Israel must know that if it embarks on this gamble, it will face severe responses".

He stressed that "the best option for (Benjamin) Netanyahu is to end the brutal war on Gaza".

Israel has accused Hezbollah of being behind the deadly strike on a field in the Druze town which killed 12 boys and girls aged between 10 and 16 as they were playing football.

However, Hezbollah has firmly denied any responsibility for the strike and slammed Israel's "false allegations".

Reacting to Israeli threats to retaliate for the Majdal Shams attack, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani warned of "unforeseen consequences" and that "any foolish action by the Zionist entity could lead to the expansion of the chaos and war in the region".

This article is based on an article which appeared in our Arabic edition by Saber Gul Anbari on 30 July 2024. To read the original article click here.