Continued from Page 1

The comments came after a phone call between Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden, their first in seven weeks. The White House said Biden told Netanyahu to “minimize harm” to civilians in Lebanon, particularly in “densely populated areas of Beirut”. “There should be no kind of military action in Lebanon that looks anything like Gaza and leaves a result anything like Gaza,” Miller said.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Qatari counterpart in Doha on Thursday, after Zionists warned it would retaliate against his country for a missile attack last week. Qatar has played a key role in efforts to secure Gaza ceasefire and has called for a truce in Lebanon. The wars were the subject of “important consultations” between Araghchi and his counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on social media platform X. “It is only responsible for all states to maximize their efforts to shield our region against an imposed catastrophe by stopping genocide in Gaza and aggression on Lebanon,” he said after the talks. Qatar’s foreign ministry said the pair “discussed the latest developments in the region, especially in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon”. Sheikh Mohammed, also Qatar’s prime minister, communicated his country’s “full readiness to do everything possible to enhance security and stability at the regional and international levels”, it added.

Araghchi’s visit came after Zionists vowed to retaliate for Iran’s massive missile last week, stoking fears of a wider war in the Middle East. Zionist Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned the response against Iran would be “deadly, precise and surprising”. On Wednesday, Araghchi was in Saudi Arabia where he met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan. Tehran had said the talks were aimed at providing “better conditions” for Palestinians and Lebanese under attacks.— AFP