Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warns Israel against attacking Beirut, says any attack will trigger a full-scale resumption of the Middle East war.
The Iranian government on Wednesday issued a stern warning regarding the ongoing regional conflict, declaring that any military strike targeting the Lebanese capital would result in a total reignition of the broader regional warfare, AFP reported. "The fate of the war between Iran and the Zionists (Israel) and Americans is inseparable from the fate of the battle in Lebanon, and these two fronts have been intertwined since day one," Araghchi stated during an interview with the pro-Hezbollah Lebanese broadcaster Al Mayadeen TV. The Foreign Minister underscored Tehran's military readiness to enforce this boundary, directly threatening retaliatory strikes against Israeli territory should the red line be crossed.
"Any attack on Beirut will have grave consequences and will lead to a full-scale resumption of the war," he continued, adding Iran's "armed forces are ready to strike Israel if it attacks Beirut".
Throughout the conflict, Tehran has consistently demanded that any diplomatic framework aimed at resolving the wider Middle East war must be contingent upon a total cessation of hostilities inside Lebanon. In his remarks on Wednesday, Araghchi made clear that a cessation of the conflict in Lebanon is entirely dependent on a complete military pullout by Israeli forces from Lebanese territory. "The end of the war in Lebanon also means the end of the occupation. That is, the end of the war must be accompanied by the withdrawal of the Zionist regime's forces from the areas they have occupied," Araghchi told the television station.
The hardline rhetoric coincided with a second day of direct diplomatic talks in Washington between Israeli and Lebanese envoys. The meetings represent the fourth round of negotiations between the sides. Following Wednesday’s meeting, the US, Israel and Lebanon announced in a joint statement that the sides had agreed on a ceasefire "contingent on a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hezbollah operatives from the South Litani Sector". After the initial April 23 meeting between the sides, which was attended by Israel’s Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanon’s Ambassador to the US, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, President Donald Trump expressed hope that peace between Israel and Lebanon would be possible this year.
Trump also said he hopes to host a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington within a few weeks. However, Aoun has made clear that a high-level summit with Netanyahu is currently out of the question, stressing that the cessation of hostilities must be the primary focus before any direct political engagement can be considered. Aoun also recently stressed that Israel’s complete military withdrawal from southern Lebanon is a “non-negotiable" prerequisite for an agreement. (Ed note: The 'Deal Maker' certainly made the opening for that demand from FM Araghchi possible.) (Source)
