- By Mayukh Debnath
- Wed, 02 Oct 2024 04:33 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Middle East Crisis: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday blamed the US and an unspecified lot of European countries for the prevailing conditions in the Middle East, hours after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a salvo of missiles towards Israel in a steep escalation of the ongoing parallel conflicts between the Israeli military and Iranian proxies in West Asia.
"If the villainy of the US and certain European countries is removed from this region, undoubtedly these conflicts and wars will be completely eliminated. Then the countries in the region can live together in peace, health, and prosperity," the Iranian Supreme Leader said in a statement posted by his office on X (formerly known as Twitter).
If the villainy of the US and certain European countries is removed from this region, undoubtedly these conflicts and wars will be completely eliminated. Then the countries in the region can live together in peace, health, and prosperity.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) October 2, 2024
Despite calls for a ceasefire from the United Nations, the United States and the European Union, fighting between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah continued on Wednesday. While Israel has vowed to strike the enemy at a place and time of its choosing, Iran has said that a "more crushing and ruinous" response awaits the Israelis if they choose to retaliate the missile strike.
Iran said Tuesday's assault on Israel was solely aimed at military facilities and was a response to Israeli killings of militant leaders including Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and aggression in Lebanon against the group and in Gaza.
Iran's state news agency said three Israeli military bases had been targeted. "Our action is concluded unless the Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation. In that scenario, our response will be stronger and more powerful," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a post on X early on Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to strike back, saying Iran will pay a heavy price. Washington said it would work with longtime ally Israel to ensure Iran faced "severe consequences" for Tuesday's attack, which Israel said involved more than 180 ballistic missiles. Several of the projectiles were intercepted mid-air but some penetrated missile defences. No casualties were reported.
(With inputs from Reuters)