Three senior Iranian officials say Tehran will nix its planned attack on Israel if a deal can be reached for a ceasefire and release of hostages in exchange for jailed Palestinian terrorists.
By World Israel News Staff
Iran is prepared to cancel its plans to attack Israel in retaliation for the July 31st assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, three senior Iranian officials told Reuters Tuesday, if Israel and Hamas are able to reach a deal leading to a hostage release and ceasefire.
Tehran vowed a harsh response following Haniyeh’s assassination, sparking global fears of a regional conflagration, and prompting the U.S. to deploy additional military assets to the area, including F-22 stealth fighter squadrons and naval vessels.
Three senior Iranian officials said, however, that the Islamic republic would be willing to shelve its planned attack if hostage deal talks, set to renew on Thursday, achieve a breakthrough leading to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Should no deal be reached, however, the officials emphasized that Iran would without a doubt strike Israel.
One source, an Iranian security official, said that if the talks in Doha and Cairo fail or if Tehran believes Israel is dragging its feet in negotiations, Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah, will launch direct attacks against Israel.
Separately, the Iranian mission to the United Nations alluded to a possible connection in a statement Friday between hostage deal talks and a strike on Israel.
“We hope our response will be timed and executed in a way that does not harm a potential ceasefire.”
Ambassador Jeff Flake, America’s envoy to Turkey, said Tuesday that the U.S. is working behind closed doors to pressure Iran not to enflame regional tensions further, enlisting the help of Turkey and other countries to intervene with Tehran.
“We ask all of our allies that have any relations with Iran to prevail on them to de-escalate, and that includes Turkey,” Flake told reporters in Istanbul.
“They’re doing what they can to make sure that it doesn’t escalate.”