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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.
Key Points
- Hezbollah launches fresh drone attack on northern Israel
- Iran says it must ‘punish’ Israel to bring stability in Middle East
- In pics: Tehran remembers Hamas’s leader Haniyeh
Haniyeh’s killing intended to extend Gaza war, says Palestinian president
The killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was intended to prolong the Gaza conflict, said the president of the Palestinian Authority, ahead of his meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Mahmoud Abbas is expected to visit Russia on 12 August for talks with the Russian president in the wake of the assassination of Hamas’s political leader, RIA reported.
Mr Abbas told the news agency that Haniyeh’s killing in Tehran was “a cowardly act and a dangerous development in Israeli politics”.
“There is no doubt that the purpose of Mr Haniyeh’s assassination is to prolong the war and expand its scope,” he said.
“It will have a negative impact on the ongoing negotiations to end the aggression and withdraw Israeli troops from Gaza.”
Haniyeh had been the face of Hamas’s international diplomacy since Israel launched a retaliatory war on Gaza after Hamas’s 7 October attack.
Iran, which backs Hamas in its war with Israel in Gaza, has blamed Israel for Haniyeh’s killing and said it will “punish” it. Israeli officials have not claimed responsibility.
Russia has condemned Haniyeh’s killing and called on all parties to refrain from further destabilisation of the region.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar6 August 2024 05:15 1722916557In pics: Tehran remembers Hamas’s leader Haniyeh
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 1722916126Joe 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 1722915669Hezbollah 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”.
Jabed Ahmed reports.
Hezbollah launches drone attack on north Israel amid fears of all-out Middle East war
Joe Biden to meet national security team as fears grow of Iranian attack on Israel
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar6 August 2024 04:41 1722914538
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live blog tracking all the developments in the Middle East.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar6 August 2024 04:22Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
