Iranian authorities warned today of the danger of the war spreading beyond the Middle East, where Israel is fighting the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip and the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.
“The world must know that if the war spreads, its harmful effects will not be limited to the Middle East region,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned in a speech broadcast on Iranian television.
Iran’s archenemy, Israel, is at war with the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon, two movements allied with Tehran that advocate a ceasefire on both fronts.
“Insecurity and instability can spread to other regions, even very distant ones,” said Araghchi, whose country has also been the target of Israeli attacks.
Israeli jets attacked military facilities in Iran on October 26 in retaliation for Iran’s launch of missiles at Israel on October 1.
Israel has warned Iran not to retaliate, while Tehran has vowed to respond.
Ali Larijani, an adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, said on Thursday that Iran should avoid reacting “instinctively” to the October 26 attack, lest it “fall into a trap” by Israel.
