Iran FM warns Israel, US of ‘another surprise’ by resistance groups if war on Gaza continues

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has warned Israel and the United States that the continuation of the war against the besieged Gaza Strip could result in “another surprise” by the resistance forces.

“In my yesterday meeting, political officials of Hamas noted that in case the war is not stopped, the region would be closer to the level of taking a bigger decision,” he told a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.

Amir-Abdollahian met Fidan a day after Iran's top diplomat sat down for talks with Hamas leaders in Qatar.

“If the war is not stopped, [the responsibility] for the expansion of the war directly lies with the Zionist regime and the US. Washington should accept the responsibility for its all-out support for the killing of people and deal with its consequences”, Amir-Abdollahian said.

“If the war continues, the conditions won’t remain the same and the resistance will make another surprise move,” he said.

Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against Israeli forces on October 7 in response to its decades-long campaign of bloodshed and aggression against Palestinians. 

The Hamas operation prompted Israel to launch a bloody war against the blockaded Gaza Strip. Israeli attacks on Gaza have so far killed at least 8,796 people, two-thirds of them women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

Hamas members and other Palestinians who entered the Israeli-occupied territories are estimated to have captured at least two hundred Israelis.

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Need for Muslim conference on Gaza

Amir-Abdollahian said Iran continues to follow up on political talks to end the Israeli bombing as soon as possible.

The minister also said Hamas has informed Tehran that 50 captives have been killed in Israeli bombardments so far.

“Hamas informed us that during the bombardments over the past 26 days, some prisoners who were held in safe zones like hospitals have been killed. The number of these people stands at 50,” he said.

“The Israeli regime uses all types of banned weapons. If you follow the Gaza reports, [the number of] those killed and injured indicates the type and diversity of the banned weapons used,” he said.

Amir-Abdollahian said Iran has proposed a conference of heads of Muslim states aimed at stopping Israeli war crimes, adding that the idea has been welcomed by many Muslim leaders. He expressed hope the conference will be held soon.

He also called on the Muslim world to boycott Israeli products.

"Our first and foremost duty, as Muslims and Arab countries, is to impose an embargo on Israeli goods, to be more sensitive about sending fuel and goods to Israel and to put an end to it," said Amir-Abdollahian.

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Turkey ready to play mediator

Fidan, for his part, said Turkey doesn’t want the conflict in Gaza to spiral into a regional war.

“It is not difficult to predict that this spiral of violence will grow" without a permanent solution to the war, he warned.

The Iranian foreign minister "shared with us that there are strong indications other armed elements in the region may intervene in the conflict if conditions do not change," Fidan said.

"A ceasefire and peace have become more essential,” Fidan said. “We do not want the human tragedy in Gaza to turn into a war that affects regional countries.”

“We continue working first for a cease-fire, then permanent peace,” Turkey’s Sabah daily quoted Fidan as saying. 

He reiterated that his country was prepared to “take responsibility and be guarantor” in the ongoing conflict.

Pointing to pro-Palestine protests worldwide, including Western countries, he said the international community must now focus on what it can do for what he called permanent peace in Palestine.

Fidan further slammed “different standards” for Ukraine and Palestine, stressing that “if we want a fair world, we must always act with integrity and consistency.”

He also slammed the EU for siding with Israel and the US and refusing to work towards achieving a ceasefire.

“The European Union doesn’t want to hear the word ‘cease-fire’ due to its position next to the US which Israel determines,” Fidan argued.

Fidan also said Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is set to visit Turkey "soon."

Iran has engaged in intense diplomatic efforts over the past weeks to help stop the Israeli bombardment of the densely-populated strip, where over two million people live. 

On Tuesday, Amir-Abdollahian was in Qatar to meet Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and the political bureau chief of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh.

On October 26, the Iranian foreign minister told an extraordinary meeting of the UN General Assembly that Tehran was ready to fulfill a role along with Turkey and Qatar in the release of captives held by Hamas.

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