Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday evening that Tehran would back Lebanon by “all means” if the war between Israel and Hezbollah continues to intensify.
“Iran has already shown tremendous patience and restraint for the sake of regional peace and stability,” Araghchi said on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City.
He also told reporters that “the region is on the brink of a full-scale catastrophe,” adding that Israel had crossed “all red lines,” according to Reuters.
Israel has repeatedly come under fire from the General Assembly podium this week, with condemnations by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Jordanian King Abdullah and others.
Iran’s new president said on Monday that Israel seeks to drag the Middle East into a full-scale war by provoking Tehran to join the conflict in Lebanon, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
“We want to live in peace, we don’t want war. It is Israel that seeks to create this all-out conflict,” said Masoud Pezeshkian.
Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon told reporters before a Security Council meeting on Wednesday that Israel would welcome a ceasefire and preferred a diplomatic solution, but noted that Iran was the nexus of violence in the region and that peace required dismantling the threat.
Hezbollah’s attacks, which have continued nearly daily since Oct. 8, have forced tens of thousands of Israelis to flee their homes along the border.
Israel has in recent days dramatically ramped up its response to Hezbollah’s aggression, after adding the return of its northern residents to their homes to its official war goals.
