Iran top diplomat in Qatar as Israel issues attack threat

AFP , Thursday 10 Oct 2024

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Qatari counterpart in Doha on Thursday, his spokesman said, after Israel warned it would retaliate against his country for last week's missile attack.

Iran
This handout picture shows Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani (R) meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Doha on October 10, 2024. AFP

 

Qatar has played a key role in efforts to secure an elusive ceasefire in Gaza and has called for a truce in Lebanon, where Israel has escalated last month its bombing of Beirut's southern suburbs.

The conflict in the region was the subject of "important consultations" between Araghchi and his counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as Qatar's prime minister, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on social media platform X.

"It is only responsible for all states to maximise their efforts to shield our region against an imposed catastrophe by stopping genocide in Gaza and aggression on Lebanon," he said after the talks.

Araghchi was expected to hold meetings with Qatari officials on Gaza, Lebanon and efforts to de-escalate regional tensions, a source with knowledge of the meetings told AFP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of discussions.

His visit came after Israel on Wednesday threatened retaliation for last week's massive missile attack by Tehran, stoking fears of a wider war in the region.

Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned the response against Iran would be "deadly, precise and surprising".

On Wednesday, Araghchi was in Saudi Arabia where he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan.

Iran had said the talks were aimed at providing "better conditions" for Palestinians and Lebanese under Israeli attacks.

Israel has been waging a year-long war on Gaza that has killed more than 41,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the territory's health ministry.

Hezbollah began firing on northern Israel after Israel launched its assault on Gaza, and since last month, Israel has significantly ramped up its strikes on southern Lebanon.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian traveled to Qatar last week where he insisted Tehran was not seeking war with Israel but vowed a stronger response in the event of Israeli retaliation for its missile attack.

Iran's missile strike was itself retaliation for the Israeli killings of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Israel claims that most of the 200 missiles fired by Iran were intercepted.

US President Joe Biden has cautioned Israel against attempting to target Iran's nuclear facilities, which would risk major retaliation, and opposes striking oil installations.

A Lebanese government source told AFP that Hezbollah had accepted a ceasefire with Israel on September 27, the day Israel killed Nasrallah.

But they said Israel's response had torpedoed the plan, backed by Washington and its allies, and the Lebanese government had "had no contact with Hezbollah" since his death.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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