From Newsmax

Iran warned in a social media post that if Israel’s “war crimes and genocide” are not stopped then the situation could spiral out of control with “far-reaching consequences.”

The post on X by Iran’s mission to the United Nations came after Axios reported Saturday that Tehran warned Israel – in a message sent via the U.N. – that it would have to respond if Israel carries out a ground offensive in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

“If the Israeli apartheid’s war crimes & genocide are not halted immediately, the situation could spiral out of control & ricochet far-reaching consequences – the responsibility of which lies with the UN, the Security Council & the states steering the Council toward a dead end,” Iran’s U.N. mission posted.

On Sunday, Iran made it official. Iran warned Israel of escalation if it failed to end aggressions against Palestinians, with its foreign minister saying other parties in the region were ready to act, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Sunday.

“If the Zionist aggressions do not stop, the hands of all parties in the region are on the trigger,” Hossein Amirabdollahian was quoted as saying.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to “demolish Hamas” as his military prepared to move into the Gaza Strip in search of Islamist militants whose deadly rampage through Israeli border towns shocked the world.

“The responsibility for the possible opening of new fronts of resistance in the region and any escalation of today’s war directly falls on the United States and the Zionist regime (Israel),” Amirabdollahian said.

Amirabdollahian met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Saturday in Qatar, where they discussed the Palestinian militant group’s deadly attack in Israel “and agreed to continue cooperation” to achieve the group’s goals, the Iran-backed Hamas said in a statement.

Earlier, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi urged France to help “prevent oppression” of Palestinians in a phone call with his counterpart Emmanuel Macron.Israeli jets and artillery have already subjected Gaza to the most intense bombardment it has ever seen, putting the enclave, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, under total siege. Gaza authorities say more than 2,200 people have been killed.

The United States has been working to keep Iran out of the conflict and broader international diplomacy has been focused on preventing it from spilling over – particularly into Lebanon – and sparking a regional war.

Lebanon’s Iran-backed, heavily armed Hezbollah group has clashed with Israel across the Lebanese border multiple times in the past week in the deadliest confrontations since they fought a month-long war in 2006.

U.N. Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland met with Iran’s Amirabdollahian in Beirut on Saturday, the United Nations said. Abdollahian then met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar, Al Jazeera TV reported.

When asked about the Axios report, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said: “All of (Wennesland’s) meetings have been to discuss diplomatic efforts to release hostages, secure humanitarian access and prevent a spillover of the conflict to the wider region. This includes his recent meetings in Lebanon.”

Israel’s mission to the United Nations declined to comment on the Axios report or the social media post by Iran.

© 2023 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.

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