Moscow, October 2, 2024 – The Europe Today: The recent surge in Middle East violence highlights the “complete failure” of US policy in the region under President Joe Biden, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Her remarks follow Iran’s significant retaliatory missile attack on Israel, launched on Tuesday evening.
Israel reported that Iran fired 181 ballistic missiles, most of which were intercepted by its air defenses. However, Iranian sources claimed that Israeli military infrastructure suffered considerable damage. This strike is seen as Iran’s response to the assassinations of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in July and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last week.
Russia’s Zakharova condemned US foreign policy, blaming Washington for the escalating violence. “This bloody drama is just ramping up,” Zakharova said, adding that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s efforts had led to a crisis with tens of thousands of casualties.
The conflict, which began last October with a Hamas raid into southern Israel, has expanded into Lebanon, with Hezbollah launching regular rocket attacks. The ongoing violence has resulted in over 41,000 Palestinian deaths, and tensions remain high as Israel prepares for further retaliation against Iran.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned of a potential large-scale war, accusing the US of blocking efforts for a ceasefire at the UN Security Council, stating that the conflict could have been resolved quickly without US support for Israel.
