Iran\u2019s top envoy warned Monday that \u2018preemptive action\u2019 against Israel is expected soon as the Jewish state continues bombarding Gaza but has so far delayed a ground operation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Leaders of the Resistance will not allow the Zionist regime to take any action in Gaza,\u2019 Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on state TV Monday, according to Reuters\u2019s translation. \u2018All options are open, and we cannot be indifferent to the war crimes committed against the people of Gaza.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018The resistance front is capable of waging a long-term war with the enemy [Israel]\u2026 in the coming hours, we can expect a preemptive action by the resistance front,\u2019 he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Earlier Monday, Iranian state media reported that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call that, \u2018There is a possibility of the conflict between Israel and Palestinians expanding to other fronts.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
Raisi reportedly said Iranian foreign policy supports the Palestinians, but \u2018resistance\u2019 groups make their own independent decisions, according to Reuters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told a group of students in Tehran that \u2018no one can stop\u2019 global Islamist forces if Israel keeps up its bombardment of Hamas targets in Gaza, according to reports by the Times of Israel and Reuters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018No one can confront Muslims and the resistance forces if the Zionist regime\u2019s crimes against Palestinians continue. The bombardment of Gaza must stop immediately,\u2019 Khamenei reportedly said amid chants of \u2018Death to Israel.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018The world is witnessing the Zionist regime\u2019s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza,\u2019 he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018We must respond, we must react to what is happening in Gaza,\u2019 Khamenei said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The comments come as the exchange of fire increased along Israel\u2019s northern border with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Last week, Khamenei denied that Iran was responsible for Hamas\u2019 surprise Oct. 7 attack but still celebrated the Tehran-backed terror group\u2019s assault as an \u2018irreparable\u2019 military and intelligence defeat for Israel.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Also Tuesday, the Fars news agency quoted Iranian Revolutionary Guards Deputy Commander-in-Chief Ali Fadavi as warning of more attacks by militants if Israel did not stop its bombardment of Gaza. \u2018The resistance front\u2019s shocks against the Zionist regime will continue until this \u2018cancerous tumour\u2019 is eradicated from the world map,\u2019 Fadavi said.<\/p>\n
More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed, and at least 199 others, including children, were captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza when terrorists launched a surprise attack on Oct. 7. The Jewish state responded by declaring war against Hamas and bombarding the Gaza Strip with air strikes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Israel is bolstering troops at the border with Gaza in preparation for a ground operation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Gaza Health Ministry said 2,778 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 wounded. Another 1,200 people across Gaza are believed to be buried under the rubble, alive or dead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Associated Press contributed to this report.\u00a0<\/p>\n