Iran Issues Ominous 'Red Lines' Warning to US, Israel

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Saturday issued an ominous warning to Israel, and its ally the United States, warning that the nation had "crossed the red lines" amid its ongoing conflict with Hamas.

On October 7, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history, with Israel subsequently launching its heaviest-ever airstrikes on Gaza in response. As of Sunday, over 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, the Associated Press reported. More than 8,000 Palestinians in Gaza, meanwhile, have died, the AP said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country is "at war" and has cut off food, fuel, electricity, and medicine supplies into Gaza. Israel has called up 360,000 army reservists as it prepares for a likely ground offensive into the territory, which has an estimated population of around 2.3 million.

Amidst the escalating conflict, Iran, a longtime enemy of Israel, has remained a major ally of Hamas, which the U.S. designates as a terrorist organization. Whether or not the country approved of the October 7 attack directly, its past provision of funds and weapons to the militant group is widely believed to have helped carry it out. Tehran has denied any role in the attack.

Raisi released a statement to his official account on X, the platform previously known as Twitter, on Saturday accusing Israel of crossing "the red lines," and criticizing the U.S. for its continued support of the nation.

"Zionist regime's crimes have crossed the red lines, which may force everyone to take action," his statement read. "Washington asks us to not do anything, but they keep giving widespread support to Israel. The US sent messages to the Axis of Resistance but received a clear response on the battlefield."

The statement from Raisi did not elaborate in any greater detail on what was meant by "red lines." Other recent statements from the Iranian president with similar messages have also not clarified that point, but in a statement published Sunday by Iran's Tasnim News Agency, Raisi accused the U.S. of hypocrisy in its support of Israel.

"Americans who claim human rights, who equip and support this fake and anti-human regime with military equipment for crimes in Gaza, what answer do they have to their nation and the nations of the world for these actions?" the statement from Raisi read.

When reached for a response by Newsweek, both the Israeli Defense Forces and the U.S. Department of Defense declined to comment.

The Saturday statement from Raisi also referenced the "axis of resistance," a phrase that refers to "an informal, loose-knit alliance" in the Middle East region, according to NPR, "supported to varying degrees by Iran." Among the members of this group are the likes of Hamas, Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group that the U.S. also designates as a terrorist organization, the Syrian government, and numerous other groups and governments.

Updated 10/31/2023, 12:05 p.m. ET: This article was updated to reflect a response from the IDF and DOD.

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