Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at a press conference after meeting with the President of the Lebanese Parliament in Beirut, Oct. 4, 2024. (Credit: AFP)
The Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, visiting the Syrian capital Damascus, emphasized the need for a ceasefire in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
"The most important issue today is the ceasefire, particularly in Lebanon and Gaza," Araghchi stated to reporters upon arriving in Damascus after a visit to Beirut the day before.
This marks the first visit by a senior Iranian official to the region since the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sept. 27.
"There are initiatives and consultations, which we hope will be successful," he said, without providing further details. "Unfortunately, the hostilities and crimes of the Zionist regime [Israel] continue. This regime knows no other language than that of force and war," added Araghchi, urging "the international community to put an end to these crimes."
Paris and Washington, joined by Arab, Western and European countries, called in September for an immediate 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon to "give diplomacy a chance."
This initiative has been ignored by Israel, which has instead intensified its strikes and dramatically killed Hassan Nasrallah.
The escalation in Lebanon follows a year of cross-border exchanges of fire, which have displaced tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the border. According to Lebanese authorities, more than 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon since October 2023, including over a thousand since Sept. 23. The Lebanese government estimates that around 1.2 million people have been displaced. More than 300,000 people, mostly Syrian refugees, have left Lebanon to enter Syria since Sept. 23, according to official figures.