Tehran Continues To Threaten Washington Over Mideast Conflict
Iran’s intelligence chief has warned the United States and other ‘supporters’ of Israel that they would face a ‘harsh, fatal revenge’ from God and the people.
Condemning Israel for what he called ‘genocide in Gaza’, Esmaeil Khatib on Saturday called the October 7 operation the “most complex and most effective” operation by the ‘resistance front’.
Khatib’s rhetoric come amid deep concerns that the conflict between Israel and Hamas would escalate into a full-blown regional war involving proxies of the Islamic Republic –which regime officials call the ‘resistance front.’
Unconfirmed reports emerged Saturday that the IRGC Quds Force Commander Ismail Qaani has traveled to Syria to “supervise” the Iran-backed armed groups along the Syrian border with Israel.
Official and state-affiliated media have not confirmed nor denied this report –which, if true, could be read as a sign of imminent escalation or a bluff of that.
In the week gone by, Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both supported by Iran, have entered the war theater, albeit on a limited scale and with no official declaration of war.
Hezbollah’s shelling of northern Israel has forced the preemptive evacuation of around 20,000 people from border areas. Israel has bombarded Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon daily, killing 19 militants to date, per Al Jazeera English.
On Saturday, Hezbollah’s number 2, Naim Qassem threatened Israelwith an augmented involvement in the conflict.
“Let's be clear,” Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General said, “as events unfold, if something comes up that calls for greater intervention by us, we will do so,” implying that a ground invasion of Gaza would take the Iran-backed group to its next level of engagement.
On the Israeli side, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Saturday “Hezbollah has decided to participate in the fighting, we are exacting a heavy price from it.”
As the conflict deepens and broadens, so do diplomatic and humanitarian efforts to mitigate the damage of war and prevent a catastrophic outcome.
Egypt hosted a major peace summit Saturday, where regional leaders and high-ranking officials from western powers met to discuss ways to de-escalate the Hamas-Israel war.
The summit coincided with a temporary opening of the Rafah crossing (from Egypt to Gaza), allowing vital aid to get into the enclave.
On Saturday, five UN agencies expressed concern about the worsening conditions in Gaza and called for a humanitarian ceasefire.
Jordan's King Abdullah II criticized Israel's siege and bombardment of Gaza, calling it ‘collective punishment’ and a "war crime." Jordan is a close US ally and has had good relations with Israel for almost three decades. King Abdullah’s stance signals a growing unease with the ongoing conflict in the region.
The World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN's Development Programme (UNDP), the UN’s Population Fund (UNFPA) and its International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) said in a statement: “Gaza was a desperate humanitarian situation before the most recent hostilities. It is now catastrophic”.
The Biden administration now finds itself in an unenviable position: pressured from the international community to call for a ceasefire and pushed at home by those wanting to see a tougher stance.
And at the heart of Biden’s problems lies the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The regime in Iran holds some leverage through its armed proxies across the region, which makes Biden hesitant in his approach towards Iran. On the other hand, Republican lawmakers have been hammering Biden for many months, especially since the exposure of an Iran influence network and the $6 billion ransom to free five Iranian-American hostages held in Tehran.
The US proposed a draft UN Security Council resolution on Saturday that demands Iran stop exporting arms to "militias and terrorist groups threatening peace and security across the region” including Hamas, according to the draft text seen by Reuters.