Iran's president-elect reaffirms policy towards Israel

Iran's president-elect reaffirms policy towards Israel

President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed Iran's anti-Israel stance on Monday, saying resistance movements across the region will not allow Israel’s "criminal policies" towards the Palestinians to continue.

"The Islamic Republic has always supported the resistance of the people of the region against the illegitimate Zionist regime," Pezeshkian said in a message to Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group.

The comments signalled no change in the regional policies of the incoming government under the relatively moderate Pezeshkian who defeated his hardline rival in last week’s runoff election.

"I am certain that the resistance movements in the region will not allow this regime to continue its warmongering and criminal policies against the oppressed people of Palestine and other nations of the region," Iranian media quoted Pezeshkian as saying.

Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah and the Palestinian Sunni Muslim Hamas are part of a group of Iranian-backed factions in the region known as the Axis of Resistance.

Israel did not immediately comment on Pezeshkian's remarks.

Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza began after the Islamist militant group that governs the Palestinian enclave led an attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

More than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military offensive and nearly 88,000 have been wounded, according to the Gaza health ministry.