Masoud Pezeshkian. Photo: AFP
Iranian President Massoud Peseshkian has said that Tehran is ready to reconsider its response to Israel’s actions if it agrees to a ceasefire and stops military operations against the Palestinian population and Lebanese Hezbollah. According to Pezeshkian, such a decision by Israel “could affect the intensity and nature of our response”, the Iranian news agency Irna reported.
Israel is currently engaged in military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, both of which are allies of Iran in the so-called “Axis of Resistance” – an anti-Israeli alliance that includes various groups in the Middle East supported by Iran.
The conflict between Israel and Iran reached a new point of escalation after Israeli warplanes struck targets in Iran on 26 October in response to Iran’s missile attack on 1 October. Tehran explained its actions as a reaction to the assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut and Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July this year.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned Israel and the United States against further actions against Iran, stressing that both countries will receive a “crushing response” in case of escalation of the conflict with the Islamic Republic and its allies.
