Any further acts of aggression against Palestinians would trigger a strong response from the rest of the “Axis”, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Thursday, referring to the “Axis of Resistance”, a term used to describe an informal military alliance that includes Iran, militant groups in Palestine, the Syrian government, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Iraqi Shia militias.
“And naturally, the Zionist entity and its supporters will be responsible for the consequences of that”, he added.
Amir-Abdollahian’s statement came during a visit to Beirut, where he was warmly welcomed by senior officials from Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah at the airport.
“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 Iranian minister said.
The renewed conflict in the Middle East has seen Israel intensify its military campaign in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a recent rampage by Hamas within Israel. By the end of Thursday, the total death toll had exceeded 2500. And according to the United Nations, more than 423,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Gaza Strip due to Israeli bombings.
Given Iran’s extensive history of providing financial and military support to militant groups in the region, Western governments and media outlets have already begun to scrutinise Iran’s role in the recent surprise attack of Hamas which led Israel to declare war, inflicting devastating consequences on Gaza’s civilian population..
However, Amir-Abdollahian also stressed on Thursday that “nobody seeks Iran’s permission to open a new front” against Israel, and the situation is “dependent on the moves of the Zionist regime”.
