Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, stated that a full-scale war in the Middle East might be the only way to achieve a fragile peace in the region.
In a post on the X platform, Medvedev expressed his regret for the loss of innocent lives, attributing the escalating tensions to what he described as the influence of the United States.
“The knot is tightening in the Middle East. Sorry for the innocent lives lost. They are but hostages of a disgusting state: the USA,” Medvedev wrote.
“Meanwhile, it’s clear to everyone that a full-scale war is the only way to a shaky peace in the region,” he added.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also condemned the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting his residence in Tehran on Wednesday.
The knot is tightening in the Middle East. Sorry for the innocent lives lost. They are but hostages of a disgusting state: the USA.
Meanwhile, it’s clear to everyone that a full-scale war is the only way to a shaky peace in the region.— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) July 31, 2024
In a statement, the ministry urged all parties to exercise restraint amid the worsening situation in the Middle East and to avoid actions that could further destabilize the region or trigger a large-scale armed conflict.
The ministry emphasized that Haniyeh’s assassination could have a detrimental impact on ongoing negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza and reaching a prisoner exchange agreement between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas.
Hanyeh’s Assassination
Hamas announced in a statement issued at six o’clock this morning Palestine time that Haniyeh was assassinated after being targeted by an Israeli raid on his residence in Tehran after participating in the inauguration ceremony of the new President Massoud Bezshkian.
The Iranian authorities later confirmed Haniyeh’s assassination without clarifying the circumstances of his targeting and said they would announce the results of the investigation as soon as possible.
The Iranian news agency said that the assassination of Haniyeh occurred around two in the morning on Wednesday local time – nine thirty GMT on Tuesday evening – noting that he was staying in a special headquarters for veterans in Tehran.
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The agency added that Haniyeh was killed with one of his bodyguards.
On the other hand, Iran’s Fars news agency said that Haniyeh’s residence was targeted in an area north of the capital Tehran.
Ongoing Genocide
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 39,480 Palestinians have been killed, and 91,128 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
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Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(OC, AJA)
