Iranians hold portraits of slain top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani during the commemoration ceremony marking the anniversary of his killing in the Iranian capital Tehran on January 3, 2024.
Atta Kenare | Afp | Getty Images
Deadly blasts that killed at least 84 people in southern Iran has added to growing international concerns about the prospect of a broader Middle East conflict.
The two explosions, which also injured more than 210 people in Kerman, targeted a memorial ceremony for Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a senior Iranian general killed in a 2020 U.S. drone strike. No party has claimed responsibility for the blast.
Meanwhile, a drone strike killed a senior Hamas leader in the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Tuesday and rebels in Yemen continue to attack commercial ships transiting the Red Sea, heightening fears that Israel’s nearly three-month-long war against Hamas could spread beyond Gaza.
Lebanon said Israel was responsible for Tuesday’s drone strike and accused it of trying to drag Beirut into a regional war. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the strike, while an advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as a “surgical” hit on Hamas, rather than an attack on Lebanon.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, warned in a speech Wednesday that if Israel stokes tensions with the Iranian-backed militant group, its fighters will react without “limits, rules and controls.”
Hezbollah, which operates both as a political party and paramilitary group in Lebanon, has exchanged near-daily cross-border fire with Israeli armed forces since Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7. However, the violence has so far been contained to the Israel-Lebanon border.
Yossi Mekelberg, associate fellow of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, a British think tank, said Thursday that Nasrallah’s speech was “typical” in its mix of threats toward Israel and support for Palestinians, while also seeking to strike a “very cautious” tone.
“I…
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