Attacks by Iran's allies to continue until conclusion of war in Gaza Strip
In Iran, attacks by allies were linked to the war in the Gaza Strip (photo: Getty Images)
The attacks by groups supported by Iran in the Middle East will not cease until the Israeli-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip comes to an end, states Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
"If the genocide in Gaza stops, then it will lead to the end of other crises and attacks in the region," he said during a visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Earlier, Abdollahian stated that Iran has very good relations with Iraq and Pakistan, adding that we have talked and agreed several times on the need to combat terrorism.
This statement echoes the declared intentions of certain armed groups influenced by Iran and receiving military support from Tehran.
Recently, the leader of the Lebanese group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, stated for the first time that the confrontation on the Lebanese-Israeli border, which has intensified in recent weeks, will not end until the ceasefire in Gaza.
Yemeni Houthi attacks and the response from Western countries
Since November 2023, Houthi rebels in Yemen have periodically attacked trade ships in the Red Sea using drones and ballistic or cruise missiles. The initial attacks occurred after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
On January 12, in response, the United States and the United Kingdom launched missile strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen. However, the rebel group continued to target ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
On January 17, the U.S. designated the Houthis as a global terrorist organization, and the following day, they carried out additional strikes on Houthi targets.
U.S. President Joe Biden stated the intention to continue strikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen in case of further attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea.
Hezbollah group attacks from Lebanon
At the end of December, the U.S. military targeted facilities associated with the Kata'ib Hezbollah group. This attack was a response to a drone strike on a U.S. base in Iraq, which critically injured one American servicemember and wounded two others.
Israeli Defense Forces fighter jets attacked an operational command center of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel declared its readiness to engage in a war with the group.
Iranian attacks
In recent days, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran carried out a series of strikes on the city of Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region in Iraq. The strikes targeted eight locations near the U.S. Consulate.
Meanwhile, during the night of January 15-16, the IRGC attacked anti-Iranian targets in the Pakistani province of Balochistan with ballistic missiles and drones. Pakistan denounced the actions as illegal and claimed that two children were killed in the aftermath of the strike.
For more information on the conflict between Iran and Pakistan and whether a new major war in the East poses a threat to the world, you can read the exclusive article by RBC-Ukraine.
