- Iran’s president said Israel has “crossed the red lines” with its bombardment of Gaza
A major escalation of the war between Israel and Hamas moved a step closer last night as Iran warned it may be “forced” to join the conflict.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Israel has “crossed the red lines” with its bombardment of Gaza, which “could force everyone to take action.”
His comments will further deteriorate relations between East and West, amid growing concerns that Iran is assembling an “axis of terror” to draw Europe and the US into the war.
Raisi wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “The crimes of (the) Zionist regime have crossed red lines, which could force anyone to take action. Washington is not asking us to do anything, but they continue to provide Israel with broad support.”
In an apparent reference to recent missile and drone attacks on US military bases in Syria and Iraq, he added: “The US sent messages to the Axis of Resistance, but received a clear response on the battlefield.”
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (pictured) said Israel has “crossed the red lines” with its bombardment of Gaza, which “could force anyone to take action”
Raisi also claimed that Israeli forces who entered Gaza had been “defeated” and forced to withdraw. However, no such withdrawal took place and clashes continued to intensify yesterday.
Iran’s so-called Axis of Resistance includes several terror groups it funds and controls, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Since the Hamas attack on October 7, which killed at least 1,400 Israelis and took more than 200 hostage, Hezbollah has launched numerous rocket attacks on northern Israel.
A United Nations peacekeeper was injured by mortar fire on Saturday evening after two shells hit the mission’s base on the Lebanese-Israeli border.
Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), said: ‘Attacking UN peacekeepers is a crime, a violation of international law and must be condemned.
“UNIFIL expresses its grave concern about these attacks on our forces, who are working tirelessly 24/7 to restore stability in southern Lebanon and de-escalate this dangerous situation.”
Hezbollah has access to powerful long-range weapons that could strike all of Israel and potentially overwhelm the Iron Dome defense system.
Missiles are launched in Iran’s central Isfahan province
Last week, the terror group released a photo showing Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah meeting leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. It said they had assessed “the international positions taken” and discussed “what the Axis of Resistance parties must do… to realize a real victory for the resistance in Gaza and Palestine.”
If Iran enters the war, it is likely that the US and its allies will take action to contain the threat. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long warned that Iran’s nuclear program poses a serious danger to the West.
In a speech to the UN General Assembly last month, he appeared to threaten Tehran with a nuclear attack if the country continued to develop its own weapons.
He said: “Above all, Iran must confront a credible nuclear threat. As long as I am Prime Minister of Israel, I will do everything I can to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.”
His office later claimed he intended to say “credible military threat.” Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the Israeli conflict could spread far beyond the Middle East as the Kremlin hosted a meeting between Iran and Hamas.
Israel called the summit “obscene” and “an act of support for terrorism.”
Kasra Aarabi, of the US pressure group United Against Nuclear Iran, said: ‘A new and menacing axis of terror against the West, centered around the Iranian regime and Putin’s Russia, could well be on the horizon.’
Britain and the US sent naval task forces to the eastern Mediterranean two weeks ago in an attempt to deter Hezbollah and Iran from becoming further involved.
Yesterday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian denied that his country had any involvement in the October 7 attack. He also told CNN that Tehran did not want the war to “expand” into a regional conflict.