Posted on 08/13/24
| News Source: JPost
Iran is expected to skip a retaliatory strike on Israel if a Gaza ceasefire deal is reached, US President Joe Biden told reporters in New Orleans on Tuesday, stressing “That’s my expectation.”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant left nothing to chance, stating in northern Israel that the IDF is prepared for defensive and offensive actions against Hezbollah and Iran, even as the United States pinned its hope for averting a regional war on Thursday’s hostage talks in Doha.A hostage and Gaza ceasefire agreement would more “broadly, create conditions for diplomacy to get the region out of this cycle of violence,”
US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters in Washington on Tuesday.Three senior Iranian officials told Reuters that only a ceasefire deal in Gaza would hold Iran back from direct retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran two weeks ago. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack but is widely presumed to have carried it out.
Hezbollah is also seeking retaliation for the Israeli assassination of one of its senior commanders Fuad Shukr. A senior Iranian security official said Iran, along with allies such as Hezbollah, would launch a direct attack if the Gaza talks fail or it perceives Israel is dragging out negotiations. The sources did not say how long Iran would allow for talks to progress before responding.
Iran has been involved in intense dialog with Western countries and the United States in recent days on ways to calibrate retaliation, said the sources, who all spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is working “round the clock.. to try and de-escalate and try to ensure that something doesn’t happen,” Patel said.