Iran is signaling that any end to the fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group will have to include terms for Lebanon, with top officials warning that Beirut cannot be left out of a ceasefire agreement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that “this war will end only when it ends in Lebanon as well,” according to Reuters.
“The end of the war on Lebanon must be accompanied by the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories they have occupied,” Araghchi was quoted as saying by Lebanese television station Al Mayadeen.
The comments come after Hezbollah rejected a U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposal aimed at ending the conflict between Lebanon and Israel.
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Another senior Iranian official delivered a similar message, insisting that Lebanon must be part of any deal.
“Today we again warn this sinister regime to leave Lebanon. They should know that Lebanon will be an inseparable part of any agreement and any ceasefire,” Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, told the Mehr news agency, according to Reuters.
Israel and Hezbollah have continued exchanging fire in recent weeks, with the Israel Defense Forces pressing ahead with operations against the Iran-backed terrorist organization in response to attacks launched from Lebanon.
Rezaei also underscored Tehran‘s continued support for Hezbollah, saying the group “made great sacrifices in the recent war and it is our ally,” and, “therefore, we support Hezbollah and remain firmly committed to our obligations toward it.”
The remarks highlight Iran’s efforts to tie the fate of Hezbollah and Lebanon to any broader ceasefire negotiations, even as fighting between Israeli forces and the terror group continues.
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