Iran FM Reveals Mutual Messages with Washington on Gaza, Lebanon

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian during a meeting with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in the southern suburbs of Beirut (Hezbollah media)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian during a meeting with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in the southern suburbs of Beirut (Hezbollah media)
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Iran FM Reveals Mutual Messages with Washington on Gaza, Lebanon

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian during a meeting with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in the southern suburbs of Beirut (Hezbollah media)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian during a meeting with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in the southern suburbs of Beirut (Hezbollah media)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has revealed that Iran and the United States have been exchanging messages lately, including about the Lebanon-based Hezbollah.

Washington had asked Tehran to urge Hezbollah to avoid getting deeply involved in the war against Israel.

The top Iranian diplomat stressed that Iran prefers a political solution in Gaza and warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that attacking Lebanon would be disastrous for him.

Amir-Abdollahian made these statements after a two-day visit to Beirut, where he met with Lebanese officials and started by meeting Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

From Beirut, Amir-Abdollahian said that progress is being made towards a political solution in Gaza, emphasizing that neither Iran nor Lebanon wants to escalate the conflict.

During a press conference alongside his Lebanese counterpart, Abdallah Bou Habib, Amir-Abdollahian affirmed that neither Iran nor Lebanon sought to expand the war in the region, reiterating that war is not the solution.

Bou Habib outlined a Lebanese perspective for a sustainable solution to restore calm to the South within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 of 2006.

The Lebanese Foreign Minister emphasized the need for the comprehensive implementation of the resolution, cessation of Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty, withdrawal from occupied territories, and the bolstering of the Lebanese Army.

Regarding meetings with Lebanese officials, Amir-Abdollahian described them as positive.

After holding talks with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, he simply stated that the meeting was good.

Following his discussion with the acting Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, Amir-Abdollahian remarked that developments in Gaza are leaning towards a political solution, contrasting with Netanyahu’s belief in war as a means of self-preservation.

Amir-Abdollahian emphasized Iran’s strong support for Lebanon’s stability and security.

Hezbollah stated that Amir-Abdollahian met with Nasrallah to discuss regional developments, especially in Gaza and southern Lebanon, and the future situation in Lebanon and the region.



Lebanese Politician Accuses Israel of Increasing Bombardment to Wring Concessions

This picture taken from a position in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, shows an Israeli flag (L) on a destroyed building, and a Lebanese flag (R) painted on a damaged building in the southern Lebanese village of Mais al-Jabal on November 25, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
This picture taken from a position in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, shows an Israeli flag (L) on a destroyed building, and a Lebanese flag (R) painted on a damaged building in the southern Lebanese village of Mais al-Jabal on November 25, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
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Lebanese Politician Accuses Israel of Increasing Bombardment to Wring Concessions

This picture taken from a position in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, shows an Israeli flag (L) on a destroyed building, and a Lebanese flag (R) painted on a damaged building in the southern Lebanese village of Mais al-Jabal on November 25, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
This picture taken from a position in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, shows an Israeli flag (L) on a destroyed building, and a Lebanese flag (R) painted on a damaged building in the southern Lebanese village of Mais al-Jabal on November 25, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)

Lebanon’s deputy parliament speaker has accused Israel of ramping up its bombardment of Lebanon in order to pressure the government to make concessions in indirect ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah.

Elias Bou Saab, an ally of the Iran-backed group, said Monday that the pressure has increased because “we are close to the hour that is decisive regarding reaching a ceasefire.”

“We are optimistic, and there is hope, but nothing is guaranteed with a person like (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu),” Bou Saab told reporters.

Israel has carried out heavy strikes in central Beirut in recent days, while Hezbollah has increased its rocket fire into Israel.

The United States is trying to broker an agreement in which Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces would withdraw from southern Lebanon and Lebanese troops would patrol the region, along with a UN peacekeeping force.

Israel has demanded freedom of action to strike Hezbollah if it violates the ceasefire, but Bou Saab said that was not part of the emerging agreement.

He also said Israel had accepted that France be part of the committee overseeing the ceasefire after Lebanese officials insisted. There was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli side.

Israel has objected to France being on the committee in the wake of the International Criminal Court’s decision last week to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defense minister and a Hamas military commander.

France said it supports the court. It said the question of whether it would arrest Netanyahu if he set foot on French soil was a “complex legal issue” that would have to be worked out.