A senior Iranian security official has reportedly warned that Iran would attack Israel if talks between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire in Gaza fail.
The official told Reuters that Iran and its allies, including Hezbollah, would also launch direct attacks on the Jewish state if they perceived that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was dragging its feet in negotiations with Palestinian terrorist groups.
Following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in late July, Iran will not refrain from direct attacks on Israel unless Israel and Hamas reach a ceasefire agreement, three senior Iranian officials said. He told Reuters. However, the news agency noted that the sources did not say how long Iran would allow the negotiations to progress before deciding to take any action.
Hamas said Sunday it would not take part in new talks on a Gaza ceasefire this week unless mediators presented a plan based on previous talks. Talks are due to resume on Thursday.
Israel accuses Iran of smuggling weapons to Jordan as region braces for possible retaliatory attacks
On the left are Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Iranian Leadership Press Office/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images/Pool Photo by Abir Sultan/AP)
The move came a day after White House national security and communications adviser John Kirby told reporters, “We share the Israeli assessment that something could happen by Iran or its proxies as early as this week.”
The Iranian president also told the British prime minister that he considered retaliating against Israel for Haniyeh’s killing to be Iran’s right and a way to deter future aggression.
Iran’s state-run Iran News Agency reported on Tuesday that President Massoud Pezechkian, in a phone call with Prime Minister Keir Starmer late on Monday, said a punitive response against aggressors was “a state right and a solution to stop crimes and aggression.”
Iran may attack Israel soon, sources say, as Western nations issue warnings
Iranians follow a truck carrying a coffin (center) during the funeral of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguards in the Iranian capital, Tehran, Thursday, August 1. (AP/Vahid Saleemi)
The two leaders reportedly discussed ways to restore peace and stability in the region and the world and improve bilateral ties, but did not provide details.
Starmer said in a statement that he was deeply concerned about the situation in the region and called on all parties to de-escalate. In a 30-minute call with Pezeshkian, Starmer urged Iran not to attack Israel, adding that war was in no one’s interest.
Ismail Haniyeh, a former political leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, in June 2021. His death in Tehran in late July this year has raised concerns that Iran may strike back against Israel. (Associated Press)
Click here to get the FOX News app
The Israel Defense Forces said on Tuesday that a “projectile confirmed to have crossed the border from the Gaza Strip fell into waters in central Israel.”
Fox News’ Bradford Betts and Yonat Frilling and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
