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Middle East conflict

Any Israeli ‘adventures’ to be met with tough response, says Iran’s top diplomat

Abbas Araghchi appealed to Antonio Guterres to "use all capabilities" of the organization "to stop the aggressions" of Israel and to organize the supply of humanitarian aid to the afflicted areas

DUBAI, October 16. /TASS/. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has told secretary-general of the United Nations Antonio Guterres over the phone that Tehran is prepared to respond to "any adventures" by Israel.

"Iran, while making all-out efforts to protect the peace and security of the region, is fully prepared for a decisive <…> response to any adventures by the Zionist regime (meaning Israel - TASS)," the statement, which summarized the Tuesday evening phone call and was published on the official website of Iran’s Foreign Ministry said.

During the conversation Araghchi told the secretary-general that Israel has created "catastrophic humanitarian issues" in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. The head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry also appealed to Guterres to "use all capabilities" of the organization "to stop the aggressions" of Israel and to organize the supply of humanitarian aid to the afflicted areas. "The Israeli regime and its main ally, the US," are responsible for escalating the situation in the Middle East, Araghchi noted.

Guterres responded by expressing concern about the escalation of tensions in the region due to Israel’s continuous attacks against Gaza and Lebanon. He emphasized the need for a political settlement and the importance of providing help to those affected by the fighting.

In the evening of October 1, Iran launched a massive missile attack against Israel in response to the killing of senior officials from the Palestinian movement Hamas, Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Tehran claimed that 90% of the missiles hit their intended targets, while Israel said that Iran only launched 180 missiles and most of them were intercepted. The Israeli General Staff vowed to respond to the attack, while Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei warned that the attacks on Israel would then only be expanded.

The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated on October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian Hamas militants infiltrated the Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking hostages. Israel responded by declaring a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launching a military operation in the region.

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