Israel-Iran latest: Tehran’s retaliation ‘imminent’ as Biden holds crisis talks
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US president Joe Biden held “round-the-clock” crisis talks on Monday amid fears of an imminent retaliation from Iran that could bring the Middle East to the brink of an all-out regional war.
Mr Biden and secretary of state Antony Blinken engaged in frantic diplomacy to try to ease tensions triggered by a suspected Israeli attack that killed Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Tehran said retaliation was inevitable and that “punishing the aggressor” was the only way to “establish stability in the region”. Iran’s foreign ministry yesterday called on the US to stop supporting Israel.
Haniyeh was assassinated while visiting Tehran for the new Iranian president’s swearing-in ceremony last week. He was assassinated just hours after Israel killed Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran in what it calls an “axis of resistance”. Haniyeh’s death was one in a series of killings of senior Hamas figures, as the war in Gaza between Hamas and Israel nears its 11th month.
In response to the escalating conflict, the US has deployed additional military resources across the Middle East, while trying to ease tensions diplomatically and urge restraint.
In pics: Tehran remembers Hamas’s leader Haniyeh
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar6 August 2024 04:55
Iran says it must ‘punish’ Israel to bring stability in Middle East
Iran believes it needs to punish Israel to prevent further instability in the Middle East after the deaths of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders last week, the foreign ministry said.
“Iran seeks to establish stability in the region, but this will only come with punishing the aggressor and creating deterrence against the adventurism of the Zionist regime (Israel),” Nasser Kanaani said, adding that action from Tehran was inevitable.
Mr Kanaani called on the US to stop supporting Israel, saying the international community had failed in its duty to safeguard stability in the region and should support the “punishment of the aggressor”.
An emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation will be held on Wednesday at Iran’s request to discuss the killing of Ismail Haniyeh and Iran’s response, he added.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar6 August 2024 04:49
Joe Biden holds ‘round-the-clock’ crisis meeting
Joe Biden held ‘around-the-clock’ crisis meetings with stakeholders in the Middle East to stop another war from breaking out in the region between Israel and Iran amid fears of an imminent retaliation from Tehran over the killing of Hamas’s top political leader.
“We are engaged in intense diplomacy, pretty much around the clock, with a very simple message — all parties must refrain from escalation,” US secretary of state Antony Blinken said yesterday.
Mr Biden called King Abdullah II of Jordan, while Blinken called top officials in Qatar and Egypt, the key intermediaries seeking a ceasefire in Israel’s 10-month-long war in Gaza.
“It’s also critical that we break this cycle by reaching a ceasefire in Gaza,” Mr Blinken added.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar6 August 2024 04:48
Hezbollah launches fresh drone attack on northern Israel
Hezbollah has hit northern Israel with a drone attack in response to what it calls “attacks and assassinations” carried out by Israel in southern Lebanon, as fears grow of the potential for all-out war in the Middle East.
It comes as Iran claimed it is not looking to escalate tensions but needs to punish Israel to prevent further instability, following the assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran.
The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), General Hossein Salami, reiterated the threat that Israel “will receive punishment in due time”.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar6 August 2024 04:41
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live blog tracking all the developments in the Middle East.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar6 August 2024 04:22
