Fears of a regional escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas grew stronger on Sunday, with Tehran warning that “no one” could “guarantee control of the situation” in the event of a ground offensive in Gaza. Washington said it feared possible involvement by Iran.
Visiting Qatar on Sunday, the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs warned of a possible “widening of the conflict”.
“If the Zionist regime’s attacks on the defenseless population of Gaza continue, no one can guarantee control of the situation,” said Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
There is “a risk of escalation of this conflict, of the opening of a second front in the north, and of course of the involvement of Iran”, underlined the national security adviser of the White House, Jake Sullivan, interviewed by CBS on Sunday.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said he did not want to “see another terrorist group like Hezbollah expand and open [nouveaux] fronts.”
Finally, the UN special advisor on the prevention of genocides, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, mentioned in a press release on Sunday the “very serious risk of a military escalation in the region”.
Climbing the ladder
Deadly clashes are increasing between pro-Iranian Hezbollah and the Israeli army on the border with Lebanon.
“One more step on the escalation ladder. A small degree, but in this kind of situation the small details have enormous importance,” warned International Crisis group specialist Heiko Wimmen on the X network about a Hezbollah attack targeting Israeli territory. He noted, a little later, that a “second level” had been reached with the spread of violence in the area.
Since the start of the war triggered by the unprecedented attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7, clashes at the border have left around ten dead on the Lebanese side, mostly combatants, but also a Reuters journalist and two civilians. . On the Israeli side, at least two people were killed.
In a statement on Sunday afternoon, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a new attack in northern Israel, in the Hanita area, claiming to have “killed and injured several enemy soldiers” and destroyed two Merkava tanks and a military vehicle.
Furthermore, Palestinian Hamas, which also has fighters in Lebanon, announced that it had fired several rockets into northern Israel.
Israeli fighter jets strike Hezbollah positions in Lebanon and exchanges of fire take place on the border, according to the Israeli army.
According to Jake Sullivan, the United States cannot “discard the hypothesis that Iran decides to become directly involved in one way or another.”
“That’s why the president acted so quickly and decisively to move an aircraft carrier to the Eastern Mediterranean, to have aircraft in the Gulf, because he sent a very clear message to any state or entity that would seek to pull take advantage of this situation,” declared the White House national security adviser.
The American Minister of Defense, Lloyd Austin, announced on Saturday the sending by the United States of a second aircraft carrier to the Eastern Mediterranean, in order to “deter hostile actions against Israel or any effort aimed at expanding this war “.
” Partner in crime “
More than 1,400 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas attack, mostly civilians, including children, and more than 120 Israelis were taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.
In Gaza, the Israeli response killed more than 2,670 people and injured more than 9,600, according to local authorities.
Israel further claimed to have found the bodies of 1,500 Hamas fighters on its border with the Gaza Strip and in surrounding areas.
“Iran cannot remain idly” in the face of the situation in Gaza, insisted the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, in an interview with the Qatari channel al-Jazeera, affirming that the United States United would also be affected in the event of a conflagration in the region.
The Islamic Republic supports Hamas financially and militarily, but nevertheless rejects accusations of its involvement in the October 7 attack.
However, for John Kirby, “Iran is largely complicit”.
Interviewed on NBC on Sunday, influential Republican Senator Lindsey Graham issued a warning to Tehran.
“If you seek to inflame this war, you will find us. »