GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories: US President Joe Biden said Tuesday that a ceasefire deal in Gaza could deter Iran from attacking Israel in retaliation for the killing of a Hamas leader that sent regional tensions soaring.
His remarks came after Iran rejected Western calls to “stand down” its threat of reprisals.
The Islamic republic and its allies have blamed Israel for Ismail Haniyeh’s killing on July 31 during a visit to Tehran for the swearing-in of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Israel has not commented.
Iran has vowed to avenge the death, which came hours after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed a senior commander of Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon.
Asked if a truce between Israel and Hamas could stave off an Iranian assault, Biden said: “That’s my expectation.”
He told reporters in New Orleans that while negotiations were “getting hard” he was “not giving up.”
Western diplomats have scrambled to prevent a major conflagration in the Middle East, where tensions were already high due to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
“Ten months since the start of the war, the threat of further regional escalation is more palpable, and chilling, than ever,” said Rosemary DiCarlo, United Nations undersecretary general for political and peacebuilding affairs.
She called on all parties to “end all escalatory rhetoric and actions.”
In a statement on Monday, the United States and its European allies urged Iran to de-escalate.
The White House warned that a “significant set of attacks” by Iran and its allies was possible this week, saying Israel shared the same assessment.
The United States has deployed an aircraft carrier strike group and a guided missile submarine to the region in support of Israel.
On Tuesday, Washington approved weapons sales of more than $20 billion to Israel including F-15 fighter-jets and nearly 33,000 tank cartridges.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani criticized the Western call for restraint.
“The declaration by France, Germany and Britain, which raised no objection to the international crimes of the Zionist regime, brazenly asks Iran to take no deterrent action against a regime which has violated its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said in a statement.
The United States and its European allies also called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, with truce talks to resume on Thursday.
The Gaza war began with Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Militants also seized 251 people, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory military offensive in Gaza has killed at least 39,929 people, according to a toll from the territory’s health ministry, which does not provide a breakdown of civilian and militant deaths.
Far-right parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition strongly oppose any ceasefire in Gaza, a point rammed home by firebrand National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on a visit to Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
The visit was swiftly condemned by Al-Aqsa’s custodian Jordan, as well as world powers including the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.
Defying longstanding rules that allow Jews and other non-Muslims to visit the compound but not to pray there, Ben Gvir led thousands of Israelis in singing Jewish hymns and performing Talmudic rituals.
In a video filmed inside the compound, Ben Gvir renewed his opposition to any let-up in the Gaza war.
“We must win and not go to the talks in Doha or Cairo,” the minister said, referring to the truce talks planned for Thursday.
US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel nonetheless said Washington remained hopeful that talks would move forward.
Netanyahu has already confirmed Israel’s participation and “our Qatari partners have assured us that they are working to ensure that there is Hamas representation as well,” Patel told reporters.
Hamas has urged mediators to implement a truce plan presented earlier by Biden instead of holding more talks.
Despite more than 10 months of fighting in Gaza, Hamas has still on occasion been able to fire rockets into Israel.
On Tuesday the militants said they had fired two rockets at Tel Aviv in their first attack on the city in months.
The Israeli army said a rocket from Gaza fell into the sea, while another was identified but “did not cross into Israeli territory.”
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin met Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas in Moscow and told him he was “concerned” about civilian deaths in Gaza.
Putin called for a ceasefire and the “creation of a fully-fledged Palestinian state,” according to images shown on Russian state television.
In the latest Gaza violence, an Israeli strike killed two parents and eight children in Abassan in the southern district of Khan Yunis, a medic from Nasser Hospital told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The sole survivor from the Abu Haya family was a three-month-old girl named Rim, he said.
“This little girl was pulled out of the rubble. Her whole family is dead. Who will take care of her now?” asked Ibrahim Barbakh, a resident of Khan Yunis, as he held the baby.
Biden says Gaza ceasefire could stop Iran attacking Israel
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Biden says Gaza ceasefire could stop Iran attacking Israel
- His remarks came after Iran rejected Western calls to “stand down” its threat of reprisals
- Asked if a truce between Israel and Hamas could stave off an Iranian assault, Biden said: “That’s my expectation“
Egypt’s foreign minister visits Moscow to strengthen ties
- Badr Abdelatty emphasized the importance of strengthening investment and trade relations between the two countries
- Abdelatty also met with several representatives of the Egyptian community in the Russian Federation
CAIRO: Badr Abdelatty, Egypt’s minister of foreign affairs, visited Moscow intending to strengthen relations between the two countries.
Abdelatty’s visit included discussions with senior Russian officials to advance bilateral cooperation and exchange views on various issues of common interest.
On the first day of his visit, Abdelatty visited the Egyptian Embassy in Moscow and met staff from the diplomatic mission and various technical offices.
He also met with several representatives of the Egyptian community in the Russian Federation during his visit to Moscow.
Tamim Khallaf, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Abdelatty emphasized the state’s commitment to safeguarding the interests of Egyptians abroad during his meeting with representatives of the Egyptian community in Russia.
He reviewed Egypt’s foreign policy perspective on regional challenges and crises, highlighting the ministry’s focus on supporting the national economy, attracting investments, and increasing development projects.
The minister also listened to the community representatives’ views and suggestions, noting their important role in strengthening the strong ties between the two countries.
Abdelatty highlighted the importance of providing the highest level of care in delivering all services to visitors at the mission, whether Egyptian citizens or foreigners, in the most efficient and timely manner.
He met Anton Alikhanov, Russian minister of industry and trade. During the meeting they discussed the latest developments related to joint development projects.
Abdelatty emphasized the importance of strengthening investment and trade relations between the two countries in various fields and working to facilitate the increase of Egyptian exports to Russia.
First Palestinian ambassador to Spain submits credentials
- King Felipe VI welcomed Housni Abdel Wahed to the royal palace in Madrid
- Spain along with Ireland and Norway have formally recognized a Palestinian state
MADRID: The first Palestinian ambassador to Spain presented his credentials on Monday to Spanish King Felipe VI after Madrid in May formally recognized a Palestinian state.
The head of state welcomed Husni Abdel Wahed to the royal palace in Madrid for the traditional ceremony for newly appointed foreign ambassadors to Spain, according to images published by the royal palace on social network X.
Wahed had been the head of the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Madrid since 2022 and he enjoyed a similar status to that of an ambassador but he officially changed rank after Spain along with Ireland and Norway formally recognized a Palestinian state comprising the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The three countries said at the time they hoped their decision would spur other European countries to follow suit and accelerate efforts toward securing a ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
Israel has condemned the decision, saying it bolsters Hamas, the militant Islamist group that led the October 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war in the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, one of the staunchest critics in Europe of Israel’s Gaza offensive, announced earlier this month that a bilateral summit between Spain and Palestine would be held before the end of the year.
The October 7 attack that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Militants also seized 251 hostages, 97 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has so far killed at least 41,226 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Iran’s president says direct talks with US possible if it abandons its hostility
- “We are not hostile toward the US, they should end their hostility toward us by showing their goodwill in practice,” said Pezeshkian
- He also said Tehran has not sent hypersonic missiles to Yemen’s Houthis, a day after the Iran-backed group said a missile it fired at Israel was a hypersonic one
DUBAI: Iran could hold direct talks with the United States if Washington demonstrates “in practice” that it is not hostile to the Islamic Republic, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday.
Pezeshkian was responding to a question at a news conference in Tehran on whether Tehran would be open to direct talks with the US to revive a 2015 nuclear deal.
Former US president Donald Trump reneged on that deal in 2018, arguing it was too generous to Tehran, and restored harsh US sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to gradually violate the agreement’s nuclear limits.
“We are not hostile toward the US, they should end their hostility toward us by showing their goodwill in practice,” said Pezeshkian, adding: “We are brothers with the Americans as well.”
After taking office in January 2021, US President Joe Biden tried to negotiate a revival of the nuclear pact under which Iran had restricted its nuclear program in return for relief from US, European Union and UN sanctions.
However, Tehran refused to directly negotiate with Washington and worked mainly through European or Arab intermediaries.
He also said Tehran has not sent hypersonic missiles to Yemen’s Houthis, a day after the Iran-backed group said a missile it fired at Israel was a hypersonic one.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would inflict a “heavy price” on the Houthis who control northern Yemen, after they reached central Israel with a missile on Sunday for the first time.
“It takes a person a week to travel to Yemen (from Iran), how could this missile have gotten there? We don’t have such missiles to provide to Yemen,” Pezeshkian said.
However, last year Iran presented what it described as Tehran’s first domestically made hypersonic ballistic missile, with state media publishing pictures of the missile named “Fattah” at a ceremony.
Israeli minister says time running out for diplomatic solution with Hezbollah in Lebanon
- “The possibility for an agreed framework in the northern arena is running out,” Gallant told Austin in a phone call
- As long as Hezbollah continued to tie itself to the Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza, where Israeli forces have been engaged for almost a year, “the trajectory is clear,” he said
JERUSALEM: Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday that the window was closing for a diplomatic solution to the standoff with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon.
Gallant’s remarks came as the White House Special envoy Amos Hochstein visited Israel to discuss the crisis on the northern border where Israeli troops have been exchanging missile fire with Hezbollah forces for months.
“The possibility for an agreed framework in the northern arena is running out,” Gallant told Austin in a phone call, according to a statement from his office.
As long as Hezbollah continued to tie itself to the Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza, where Israeli forces have been engaged for almost a year, “the trajectory is clear,” he said.
The visit by Hochstein, who is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, comes amid efforts to find a diplomatic path out of the crisis, which has forced tens of thousands on both sides of the border to leave their homes.
On Monday, Israeli media reported that the head of the army’s northern command had recommended a rapid border operation to create a buffer zone in southern Lebanon.
While the war in Gaza has been Israel’s main focus since the attack by Hamas-led gunmen on Oct. 7 last year, the precarious situation in the north has fueled fears of a regional conflict that could drag in the United States and Iran.
A missile barrage by Hezbollah the day after Oct. 7 opened the latest phase of conflict and since then there have been daily exchanges of rockets, artillery fire and missiles, with Israeli jets striking deep into Lebanese territory.
Hezbollah has said it does not seek a wider war at present but would fight if Israel launched one.
Israeli officials have said for months that Israel cannot accept the clearance of its northern border areas indefinitely but while troops remain committed to Gaza, there have also been questions about the military’s readiness for an invasion of southern Lebanon.
However, some of the hard-line members of the Israeli government have been pressing for action and on Monday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a longtime foe of Gallant, called for him to be sacked.
“We need a decision in the north and Gallant is not the right person to lead it,” he said in a statement on the social media platform X.
Hundreds of Hezbollah fighters and dozens of Israeli soldiers and civilians have been killed in the exchanges of fire, which have left communities on both sides of the border as virtual ghost towns.
The two sides came close to all-out war last month after Israeli forces killed a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut in retaliation for a missile strike that killed 12 youngsters in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
On Monday, Israel’s defense ministry said it had approved the distribution of 9,000 automatic rifles to civilian rapid response units in northern Israel and the Golan Heights.
UNRWA chief: Gaza polio vaccination coverage has reached 90 percent
- More than 446,000 Palestinian children in central and south Gaza were vaccinated
GAZA: Polio vaccination coverage in Gaza has reached 90 percent, the head of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency said on Monday, adding that the next step was to ensure hundreds of thousands of children got a second dose at the end of the month.
The campaign to vaccinate some 640,000 children in Gaza under 10 years of age against polio, which began on Sept. 1, presented major challenges to UNRWA and its partners due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
It followed confirmation by the World Health Organization (WHO) last month that a baby had been partially paralyzed by the type 2 polio virus, the first such case in the Palestinian territory in 25 years.
More than 446,000 Palestinian children in central and south Gaza were vaccinated earlier this month before a campaign to vaccinate a final 200,000 children in north Gaza began on September 10 despite access restrictions, evacuation orders and shortages of fuel.
The first round of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza ended successfully, UNRWA’s chief Philippe Lazzarini said, adding that 90 percent of the enclave’s children had received a first dose.
“Parties to the conflict have largely respected the different required “humanitarian pauses” showing that when there is a political will, assistance can be provided without disruption. Our next challenge is to provide children with their second dose at the end of September,” he wrote on X.
Israel began its military campaign in Gaza on Oct. 7 last year after Hamas led a shock incursion into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
The resulting assault on Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave’s health ministry, and reduced much of the territory to rubble.
