Gaza violence could get out of hand, according to Tehran

Israel and the US could face “far-fetched repercussions,” Iran’s top diplomat warned.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has accused the US of launching a “proxy war against Palestinians” and warned that things will spiral out of control if Israel conducts the ground attack it is planning for and the bombardment of Gaza is not stopped.

The top Iranian diplomat said it was a “bitter and unfortunate reality” that US President Joe Biden made a “extraordinary wartime visit” to Tel Aviv this week to show support for the Benjamin Netanyahu government amid the bombardment of the Palestinian enclave and a lack of humanitarian aid in his remarks at the joint press conference with his South African counterpart Naledi Pandor in Tehran on Sunday.

“It’s a great shame that the American president announced that the US would dispatch hundreds of planes, ships, and trucks filled with military equipment to the occupied territories in support of the mass murder that Israel is committing in Gaza but has managed to coordinate plans for only 20 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter the besieged enclave,” he said.

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Amir-Abdollahian described the region as a “powder keg” and issued a dire warning about “heavy and bitter consequences.”

Amir-Abdollahian argued that if the US and the Israeli regime do not immediately cease their crimes against humanity, anything could happen at any time and the area might spiral out of control.

In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin also expressed concern about “the prospect of a significant escalation.” In addition to pledging to sustain Washington’s support for its steadfast ally Israel, he also committed to take all necessary precautions to protect American personnel stationed in the area.

On October 7, following a deadly surprise attack on its territory by Hamas and other Palestinian militant organisations, Israel started conducting airstrikes on Gaza.