The United States and Iran have been engaged in communication throughout Israel’s four-month-long conflict with Gaza, as mentioned by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Discussions included topics related to the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. Amir-Abdollahian stated that the U.S. requested Iran to urge Hezbollah, backed by Iran, to limit its involvement in the conflict with Israel.
Hezbollah has been actively supporting its Palestinian ally, Hamas, along the Lebanese-Israeli frontier. Israel launched the war in October, aiming to dismantle Hamas after an attack on southern Israel. The conflict has resulted in a significant number of casualties and has regional implications.
Iranian Foreign Minister (Credits: The Times of Israel)
During his visit to Beirut, Amir-Abdollahian warned Israel against escalating the conflict into a broader war with Lebanon, suggesting that it could lead to the end of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership.
He emphasized Iran’s belief in a political solution to resolve the Gaza war, stressing that war is not the answer. Amir-Abdollahian also mentioned ongoing talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia regarding a political resolution to hostilities in Gaza.
In response to Hamas proposing a ceasefire with specific terms, Amir-Abdollahian deemed these ideas as realistic and called for widespread support to end the war.
He had meetings with Lebanon’s political figures, including Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, to discuss the situation in Gaza and southern Lebanon.
Amir-Abdollahian is set to travel to Syria, where he is expected to meet with top officials. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps has faced challenges in Syria, with Israeli strikes causing casualties among its members, including high-ranking intelligence generals, since December.
