(13 Oct 2023)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Beirut, Lebanon - 13 October 2023
1. Various of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati
2. SOUNDBITE (Farsi) Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iranian Foreign Minister:
"But the ridiculous thing here is that while calling on others to exercise self-restraint, they have left the hands of war criminals in the fake Zionist regime and Netanyahu completely open to slaughter women, children and civilians in Gaza."
3. Various of Amirabdollahian with Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib
4. SOUNDBITE (Farsi) Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iranian Foreign Minister:
"Americans can't send weapons and bombs for the Israeli regime with one hand to kill Palestinian women and children. (++CUTAWAY TO WIDE OF TRANSLATION BEING GIVEN++) And use the other hand to ask all other parties to exercise self-restraint."
6. Wide of cameramen
7. Wide of news conference
8. SOUNDBITE (Farsi) Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iranian Foreign Minister:
"If the organized war crimes of the fake regime of Israel are not immediately stopped anything is possible."
9. Mid of Amirabdollahian and Bou Habib
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdallah Bou Habib, Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister
“We agreed with the Arab and Muslim world that they put pressure on the West to force Israel to stop because if they don't stop the destruction and demolitions in Gaza, we could reach a point of a regional war.”
11. End of news conference
STORYLINE:
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian warned on Friday that if Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip don't stop immediately the violence could spread to other parts in the Middle East.
Amirabdollahian is on a tour that took him to Baghdad before Beirut, and later in the day he is scheduled to head to the Syrian capital of Damascus.
Iran heads the so-called "axis of resistance" that includes powerful militant groups in the region including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq.
Amirabdollahian spoke to reporters in Beirut after meeting his Lebanese counterpart during which the two officials called for an end to Israel's attacks on Gaza.
There have been concerns that the war could spread to Lebanon's border where Hezbollah fighters have been on alert following Hamas attack on southern Israel on Saturday that left hundreds of people dead.
On Thursday, Israel's military struck the international airports of Damascus and the northern Syrian city of Aleppo putting them out of service. The strikes came after shells were fired from Syria into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Sporadic acts of violence along the Lebanon-Israel border over the past days have left three Hezbollah fighters dead on Monday and Israel's military said one Israeli was killed in an anti-tank missile attack on Wednesday.
U.S. President Joe Biden has warned other players in the Middle East not to join the conflict, sending American warships to the region and vowing full support for Israel.
"But the ridiculous thing here is that while calling on others to exercise self-restraint, they have left the hands of war criminals in the fake Zionist regime and Netanyahu completely open to slaughter women, children and civilians in Gaza." Amirabdollahian said.
He warned that "if the organized war crimes of the fake regime of Israel are not immediately stopped anything is possible."
He did not elaborate but it was an apparent hint that Iran-backed groups could join the war.
AP Video shot by Lujain Jo.
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