In Beirut, Iranian FM says US must 'control' Israel to avert regional war

Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who had arrived Thursday in the Lebanese capital Beirut, met Friday with Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

Abdollahian was received by Hezbollah and Hamas among other pro-Iran groups. He is scheduled to meet Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh before heading to Damascus.

Speaking from Beirut's airport, the top diplomat said that Iran's regional allies, known as the "axis of resistance", could respond if Israel's Gaza offensive escalates.

"The continuation of war crimes against Palestinians and Gaza will receive a response from the rest of the axes," he told reporters.

Abdollahian discussed with Nasrallah Friday "potential outcomes" and the "positions that must be taken" in light of the latest developments, according to a Hezbollah statement.

At least 1,200 Israelis, foreigners and dual citizens were killed by Hamas militants during its attack on Saturday.

In Gaza, health officials reported 1,417 Palestinians killed by Israel's retaliatory barrages against the coastal enclave.

After meeting Mikati on Friday, Abdollahian warned of new fronts being opened against Israel if it continues its destructive war on Gaza.

He said the United States must rein in Israel to avert a regional spillover of the war with Hamas, adding that Tehran is seeking to safeguard Lebanon's security and that maintaining calm in Lebanon is one of the goals of his visit.

"America wants to give Israel a chance to destroy Gaza, and this is... a grave mistake," he charged, adding, "if the Americans want to prevent the war in the region from developing, they must control Israel."

The West has been cautious about Iran since Saturday, but its leaders have warned Tehran in no uncertain terms against intervening in the war.

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he had "made it clear to the Iranians: Be careful".

In a call with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Wednesday appealed to "all the Islamic and Arab countries" to "reach serious convergence and cooperation on the path of stopping the crimes of the Zionist regime against the oppressed Palestinian nation".

Although Tehran has been a long-term backer of Hamas, Iranian officials have been adamant that the country had no involvement in the militants' attack against its arch enemy Israel on Saturday.

Nevertheless, the United States fears the opening of a second front on Israel's northern border with Lebanon if Hezbollah were to intervene.

Iran's foreign minister said that opening a "new front" against Israel would depend on Israel's actions in Gaza.

"Officials of some countries contact us and ask about the possibility of a new front (against Israel) being opened in the region," said Abdollahian during a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

"We tell them that our clear answer regarding future possibilities is that everything depends on the actions of the Zionist regime in Gaza," he said, according to a statement from the Iranian foreign ministry.

"Even now, Israel's crimes continue and no one in the region asks us for permission to open new fronts."

After meeting with Abdollahian, Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib warned that Israeli escalation could "ignite the region" and threaten security and peace.

"Lebanon has never wanted war," he said. "But there will be no stability in the region without a fair and comprehensive solution for the Palestinian people."

For his part, Abdollahian did not completely rule out the chance of an escalation.

During a news conference with his Lebanese counterpart, he said: "If the systemic war crimes of the Zionist regime do not stop immediately, any possibility is conceivable."

Tehran was working to host an emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which has 57 member states, he added.

"In this regard, the initial coordination has been carried out with the secretary general of the OIC," the minister told reporters.