NNA - Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Abdallah Bou Habib, on Friday welcomed visiting Iranian counterpart, Amir Abdollahian, with whom he held joint press conference. 

In his delivered word, Bou Habib stressed Lebanon’s solidarity with “our Palestinian brothers”, calling for swiftly lifting the current siege on Gaza. 

He warned that Israeli escalation could "ignite the region" and threaten security and peace.

"Lebanon has never wanted war," Bou Habib said. "But there will be no stability in the region without a fair and comprehensive solution for the Palestinian people."

For his part, Abdollahian said, “What we witness today in Gaza is a war crime committed by the Zionist regime,” calling on Israel to immediately halt its war crimes against Palestinians. 

“The US urges restrain while arming and supporting ‘Israel’,” Abdollahian exclaimed, while calling on Islamic governments to support lifting Gaza’s blockade and stopping the rampant Israeli aggression. 

Moreover, Abdollahian did not completely rule out the chance of an escalation.

"If the systemic war crimes of the Zionist regime do not stop immediately, any possibility is conceivable."

Tehran was working to host an emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which has 57 member states, he added.

"In this regard, the initial coordination has been carried out with the secretary general of the OIC," the minister told reporters.

===========R.H.