Iran Says Israel Will Drown US in 'War Morass' of Middle East

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Israeli authorities will drown Washington in a "war morass" in the Middle East as Israel has so far failed to achieve the goals of its military operation in the Gaza Strip despite four months of hostilities against Hamas, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Friday.

"After four months of war, it is obvious that Tel Aviv has not achieved any of its goals. Further support for [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu by the United States will not bring along anything other than a clear failure. The Israeli regime is making the US drown in the war morass in the Middle East," the Tasnim news agency quoted Amirabdollahian as saying on arrival in Beirut.

Hamas has already proposed its plan of political normalization of the Palestine-Israel conflict, the Iranian foreign minister added. He also urged the US "not to support Israel in its crimes against the Gaza Strip."

This Friday, Amirabdollahian is paying an official visit to Lebanon to discuss the situation in the Middle East, mainly on the Palestinian-Israeli front.

On October 7, 2023, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from Gaza and breached the border,killing 1,200 peopleandabducting around 240 others. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, andstarted a ground incursioninto the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages.Over 27,500 people have been killedso far in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said.

On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.