G7 Calls On Iran To Cease Support For Extremist Groups

The Group of Seven (G7) nations have issued a call to Iranian authorities urging them to cease their support for Hamas and Hezbollah amid the war in Gaza.

In a joint statement released on Wednesday following a two-day meeting in Tokyo, foreign ministers from G7 countries underlined the critical need for Iran to refrain from providing assistance to Hamas and from taking actions that could further destabilize the Middle East.

"We call on Iran to refrain from providing support for Hamas and taking further actions that destabilize the Middle East, including support for Lebanese Hezbollah and other non-state actors," the foreign ministers of the G7 countries noted, referring to the network of proxies Iran has across the Middle East.

It comes while Israel and Hamas are engaged in the worst Gaza war since the Iran-backed proxy took over control of the strip in 2007 following the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7. In one day Hamas claimed responsibility for the slaughter of 1,400 mostly civilians and a further 241 taken hostage to Gaza. Lebanese Hezbollah, Iran's biggest regional proxy on Israel's northern border, has been carrying out increasing attacks since the war began in the worst violence since the second Lebanon war.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Italy reiterated their unwavering support for Israel's right to self-defense and the protection of its citizens in accordance with international law.

In response to the attacks on October 7, the Israeli military has conducted a sustained series of airstrikes in Gaza. The Hamas controlled health ministry in Gaza has claimed that the death toll on their side has now surpassed 10,300.