Amir-Abdollahian Meets Nasrallah Amid Hezbollah-Israel Conflict

The Lebanese group Hezbollah stated that Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Iranian Foreign Minister, and Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, met and discussed the latest developments in Palestine, Lebanon, and the region, as well as efforts to end Israel's aggression against Gaza. Amir-Abdollahian had warned on Wednesday that the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel could spiral out of control. After concluding his visit to Beirut, he left for Doha, the capital of Qatar. Hezbollah announced on Thursday morning that it had fired dozens of Katyusha rockets at a military base near the city of Safed in northern Israel, approximately one kilometer from the border. The organization, which is listed as a terrorist group by various countries, also claimed to have conducted at least 10 other attacks on Israeli positions near the border, asserting that these attacks resulted in casualties. According to a count by AFP, the violence between Israel and Hezbollah has left at least 108 dead in Lebanon, most of whom are Hezbollah fighters, while at least 14 civilians, including three journalists, have also been killed. Officials reported that six Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed on the Israeli side. On Wednesday, Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day ceasefire and the exchange of Hamas hostages and Israeli prisoners. Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Ebrahim Raisi, the President of Iran, arguing in Tehran that Israel has not achieved its objectives in the war, as Israeli forces have made significant inroads into the Gaza Strip. The conflict in Gaza began after Hamas's terrorist attack on October 7, which targeted southern Israel and resulted in widespread civilian casualties and hostage-taking. Israel claims its goal is to eliminate Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union, the United States, and Israel. Hezbollah claims to support the Palestinian fighters of Hamas, with both groups receiving financial and military backing from the Islamic Republic. Recently, Ezzatollah Zarghami, the Iranian Minister of Tourism in Ebrahim Raisi's government and former head of state television, stated on government television that he had personally gone to deliver Fajr-3 rockets to Hamas in the group's tunnels and had also supplied weapons to Hezbollah. The United States claims that the Islamic Republic is the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world.