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<\/div>\nIsraeli troops have massed on the border with Gaza, threatening a ground offensive (File)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Doha: <\/b><\/p>\n
Iran on Sunday warned that any Israeli ground offensive in the Gaza Strip could expand the scope of the conflict elsewhere in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held talks with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, as Israeli troops massed on the border with Gaza.<\/p>\n
“No one can guarantee the control of the situation and the non-expansion of the conflicts,” he said, according to an Iranian foreign ministry statement.<\/p>\n
“Those who are interested in preventing the scope of war and crisis from expanding, need to prevent the current barbaric attacks… against citizens and civilians in Gaza,” he added.<\/p>\n
Amir-Abdollahian also criticised the United States, which has given its unequivocal backing to Israel since the October 7 attacks by Hamas fighters that left 1,400 people dead in Israel.<\/p>\n
Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip have since killed more than 2,300 people. On both sides, the toll was mostly civilians.<\/p>\n
In Washington, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the United States feared an escalation of war, and the prospect of Iran — Israel’s long-time foe and supporter of Hamas — becoming “directly engaged”.<\/p>\n
Iran’s top diplomat was in Qatar on Sunday as part of a regional tour that also included stops in Iraq, Lebanon and Syria.<\/p>\n
Israel has stationed troops and tanks on its UN-patrolled northern border with Lebanon and closed a four kilometre (2.5 mile) wide zone to civilians after deadly exchanges of cross-border fire with Iran-backed group Hezbollah.<\/p>\n
Western countries that support Israel have warned against a regional spillover of the conflict.<\/p>\n
The United States has deployed a second aircraft carrier to the region in an effort to “deter hostile actions against Israel”, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said.<\/p>\n
Hamas took more than 120 hostages in last weekend’s attack.<\/p>\n
Sunday’s Iranian foreign ministry statement said Amir-Abdollahian had met high-ranking Hamas officials in Beirut and Doha who described “the issue of civilian prisoners as a priority” and would “take the necessary measures”.<\/p>\n
But there was no further detail on what those would be.<\/p>\n
Amir-Abdollahian also met in Beirut with Tor Wennesland, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.<\/p>\n
“All of the Security Council meetings have been to discuss diplomatic efforts to release hostages, secure humanitarian access and prevent a spillover of the conflict to the wider region. This includes the Special Coordinator, Tor Wennesland’s recent meetings in Lebanon,” Dujarric said.<\/p>\n
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n