Iranian President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian speaks to French President, says Israeli attack on Lebanon “could backfire and have severe consequences for the Zionists themselves.”
Jul 30, 2024, 6:54 AM (GMT+3)
LebanonIranEmmanuel MacronMajdal Shams Rocket Strike
Masoud PezeshkianReuters/Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto
Iranian President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Monday that any possible Israeli attack on Lebanon “could backfire and have severe consequences for the Zionists themselves,” CNN reported.
According to the report, Pezeshkian’s comment came during a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, ahead of Pezeshkian’s swearing in ceremony before the Iranian parliament on Tuesday.
Macron and Pezeshkian also discussed “various issues and topics, including negotiations to lift anti-Iran sanctions, the war in Ukraine, and the latest situation and developments in Gaza and Lebanon,” the Iranian news agency Mehr reported.
Pezeshkian, touted as a reformist, defeated his hardline rival, former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, in a runoff election.
While improving Iran’s relationships with the West is one of his stated goals, that does not include Israel. On the day of the first round of the elections, responding to a question from a journalist about how Iran would manage international relations if he were president, Pezeshkian replied, “God willing, we will try to have friendly relations with all countries except Israel.”
The conversation between Macron and Pezeshkian came amid tensions between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah over the Hezbollah rocket attack on a soccer field in Majdal Shams, in which 12 children and teens were killed.
On Sunday, the members of the Security Cabinet authorized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to decide on the manner and timing of the response against Hezbollah in the wake of the massacre in Majdal Shams.
Earlier, Kan 11 News reported that the US administration estimates that Israel’s retaliation against Hezbollah for the massacre in Majdal Shams will be significant but not one that would lead to an all-out war.
About The Author
