Iran Begins Efforts to Stop US-British Strikes Against Houthis

Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani speaking to reporters (IRNA)
Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani speaking to reporters (IRNA)
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Iran Begins Efforts to Stop US-British Strikes Against Houthis

Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani speaking to reporters (IRNA)
Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani speaking to reporters (IRNA)

Iran launched its diplomatic efforts to stop the US-British attacks on the Houthi group, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani.

Kanaani indicated that recent developments in the Red Sea are a result of the situation in the Gaza Strip.

Speaking at the weekly press conference, Kanaani announced that the UK-US attacks against Yemen violate the sovereignty of an independent and UN member state.

He described the attacks as a "flagrant act of aggression and adventure," accusing them of issuing "false claims" of not wanting to expand the scope of the war while they launched illegal and unilateral actions.

Hamas has been launching drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since Nov. 19 in support of the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

In response, US and British forces began launching air attacks on Houthi positions.

The spokesman reiterated Tehran's condemnation of the attacks, saying the situation in the "Red Sea is caused by the conditions that are going on in Gaza."

Iran has expressed its transparent position on the issue, he further noted.

- Boycotting Israeli goods in Iran

Kanaani asserted that boycotting Israeli goods is a demand of all free people in the world.

The spokesman explained that the Foreign Ministry must monitor and prepare a list of companies and goods associated with Israel under the law.

Last year, the authorities identified the companies and goods affiliated with Israel and updated the list submitted to the Trade Ministry and the Customs Administration.

Last December, Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf demanded that the Foreign Ministry provide a list of goods linked to Israeli companies.

Ghalibaf said the government must take the necessary measures to prevent the import of these goods.

Kanaani asserted that none of the known Israeli goods will be allowed to enter Iran.

- Gaza, post-war

He indicated that the "Zionist entity does want to stop the war," accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking his interests through the ongoing war and lack of security and stability.

Kanaani defended the actions of the "Axis of Resistance" groups, referring to the recent visit of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian to Beirut.

Commenting on the death of Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers in Syria last month, Kanaani said officials on several occasions that any action against Iran will not go unanswered, and Tehran will respond to the Zionist action against it.

On Sunday, The Washington Post quoted Lebanese and Iraqi officials as saying that Iran is privately urging Hezbollah and other armed groups to exercise restraint against US forces.

"Iran may have realized their interests are not served by allowing their proxies unrestricted ability to attack US and coalition forces," one US official said.

"Iran is doing its utmost to prevent the expansion of the war and the escalation from reaching the point of no return," said an Iraqi official with close ties to Iranian-backed forces there.

The newspaper pointed out that Amirabdollahian praised the groups during a recent visit to Lebanon and promised continued support.

However, in private, Iranian emissaries have adopted a more measured tone. They've praised Hezbollah's sacrifices but cautioned that war with Israel would risk precious gains in the region, according to Washington Post sources.

Washington confirmed that Tehran enjoys a high level of control over its "agents" in the region. Tehran says it has provided funding, advice, and training to allies.

On Sunday, multiple Iranian and Iraqi sources told Reuters that the visit of the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, to Baghdad has led to a pause in attacks on US troops by Iran-aligned groups in Iraq.

Qaani met representatives of several of the armed groups in Baghdad airport on Jan. 29, less than 48 hours after Washington blamed the groups for the killing of three US soldiers at the Tower 22 outpost in Jordan, the sources said.

The sources added that Qaani informed the armed factions that shedding US blood risked a violent response and that they must move away from the scene to avoid launching a strike.

He said the militias should lie low to avoid US strikes on their senior commanders, destruction of key infrastructure, or even a direct retaliation against Iran, the sources said.

Since Feb. 4, there have been no attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria, compared to more than 20 attacks in the two weeks before Qaani's visit.



Israeli Troops Battle Palestinian Fighters in Gaza City of Khan Younis

 Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israeli Troops Battle Palestinian Fighters in Gaza City of Khan Younis

 Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)

Israeli troops battled Palestinian fighters in Khan Younis in southern Gaza and destroyed tunnels and other infrastructure, as they sought to suppress small militant units that have continued to hit troops with mortar fire, the military said on Friday.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said troops had killed around 100 Palestinian fighters since Israeli troops began their latest operation in Khan Younis on Monday, which continued as pressure mounted for a deal to halt the fighting.

It said seven small units that had been firing mortars at the troops were hit in an air strike, while further south, in Rafah, four fighters were also killed in air strikes.

The Islamic Jihad armed wing said it fired rockets toward the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon and other Israeli towns near Gaza. No casualties were reported, the Israeli ambulance service said.

The continued fighting, more than nine months since the start of Israel's invasion of Gaza following the Oct. 7 attack, underlined the difficulty the IDF has had in eliminating fighters who have reverted to a form of guerrilla warfare in the ruins of the coastal strip.

A Telegram channel operated by the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the two main militant groups in Gaza, said fighters had been waging fierce battles with Israeli troops east of Khan Younis with machine guns, mortars and anti-tank weapons.

Medics said at least six Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in eastern Khan Younis.

US PRESSURE

US President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for president, both urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a proposed ceasefire deal as soon as possible.

However there has been no clear sign of movement in talks to end the fighting and bring home some 115 Israeli and foreign hostages still being held in Gaza. Public statements from Israel and Hamas appear to indicate that serious differences remain between the two sides.

Local residents contacted by messenger app, said Israeli tanks had pushed into three towns to the east of Khan Younis, Bani Suhaila, Al-Zanna and Al-Karara and blew up several houses in some residential districts.

The military said air force jets hit around 45 targets, including tunnels and two launch pads from which rockets were fired into Beersheba in southern Israel.

Even while the fighting continued around Khan Younis and Rafah in the south, in the northern part of the enclave, Israeli tanks pushed into the Tel Al-Hawa suburb west of Gaza city, residents said.

A Hamas Telegram channel said fighters targeted an Israeli tank in Tal Al-Hawa and shot an Israeli soldier.

Medics said two Palestinians were also killed in an air strike in western Gaza city.

More than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting in Gaza, according to local health authorities, who do not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants.

Israeli officials estimate that some 14,000 fighters from armed groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, have been killed or taken prisoner, out of a force they estimated to number more than 25,000 at the start of the war.