(NewsSpace.com) – Since Hamas attacked Israel in the early morning hours of October 7, the rest of the world has been watching with bated breath to see what is going to happen. Within days, the fighting expanded to Lebanon, where Israeli forces have been trading fire with Hezbollah, a militant group. This has led to concerns that the situation is about to escalate into a much larger war.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah are funded by Iran, a country designated by the United States as the world’s largest sponsor of terrorism. Many have pointed the finger at Tehran, accusing it of helping Hamas carry out its surprise attack. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has denied Iran’s involvement, placing the blame for the attack solely on Palestinian shoulders, but strongly supports the move.
To further complicate matters, Iran recently warned Israel that if it continued to attack Gaza, which is currently under siege and cut off from nearly all basic necessities, it would face an escalation of conflict. Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian spoke with Al Jazeera, implying that escalation was on the horizon if “measures aimed at immediately stopping the Israeli attacks […] end in a deadlock.” He further warned that should Israeli forces put boots on the ground in Gaza, “resistance leaders will turn it into a graveyard of the occupation soldiers.”
The United States has been trying to do damage control. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently met with both Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to get them on board with condemning Hamas. However, that did not go as planned, as both leaders resisted and said Israel was going overboard in its response. Sisi was especially critical, saying Israel’s assault on Gaza goes beyond “the right of self-defense” and crosses the line into “collective punishment.”
Neither side shows any sign of backing down anytime soon.
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