The United States has reportedly warned Iran that any retaliatory strikes against Israel for the recent killing of a senior Hamas official in Tehran pose “serious risks” to Iran’s economy and government and could escalate the months-long conflict between Israel and Hamas.
U.S. officials The Wall Street Journal The United States has told Iran that any retaliatory strikes would carry a “highly likely” risk of significant escalation.
The official said the Iranian government had been warned that “if it continues down that path, it risks serious consequences for Iran’s economy and the stability of the newly elected government.”
Late last month, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran. Israel immediately blamed the assassination on Israel, which had vowed to kill Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders following Hamas’ attack on the Jewish state on October 7, leaving 1,200 people dead and hundreds taken hostage.
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Iranian President Massoud Pezechkian met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Tehran, Iran, on August 5, 2024. (Iranian Presidential Office/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new President, Masoud Pezeshkian.
Iran has signaled its intention to strike back against Israel, but the exact scope and timing of any attack is unclear. This contrasts with Iran’s expected missile and drone strikes against Israel in April in retaliation for Israel’s killing of a senior Iranian paramilitary commander in Syria.
Smoke rises after Israeli forces launch airstrikes on the Al-Mughraka neighborhood in the Gaza Strip on April 14, 2024. (Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Another variable is the presence of Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy terrorist organization that has been intensifying attacks on Israel near the Lebanese border in recent months.
Earlier this week, Israel said it had carried out airstrikes in southern Lebanon, killing four Hezbollah fighters.
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According to the Wall Street Journal, US officials insist that the warning to Iran was about the risk of provoking an Israeli military response and escalating the conflict, not about possible US military action.
A worker walks through rubble as a backhoe removes it from a building damaged by Israeli air strikes, in the southern outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon. (AP/Hussein Marra)
The moves come as the leaders of Qatar, Egypt and the United States urged Israel to resume talks with Hamas on August 15.
“It is time to conclude a ceasefire and release the hostages and prisoners,” the three countries said in a joint statement on Thursday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would send a negotiating team to Gaza on August 15 to finalize the details of a ceasefire framework.
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Mediators said the talks were due to take place in Doha or Cairo. Last week’s killing of Mr Haniyeh was widely seen as a blow to ceasefire talks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
