Former national security adviser John Bolton speaks to reporters after speaking during a panel hosted by the National Council of Resistance of Iran – United States (NCRI-US) at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, DC, August 17, 2022 .
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Former US national security adviser John Bolton believes that Israel’s war in Gaza is “still in its early stages” and said Iran’s involvement complicates the situation.
Describing the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas as “Iran’s war against Israel,” Bolton told CNBC’s Dan Murphy: “The fact that Iran hasn’t been held accountable for anything shows that we’re still in the early stages. .” The various stages of war. “
Israel declared war on Hamas, a Palestinian Islamic organization, after it launched a sudden terrorist attack on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, including women and children, and kidnapping more than 200 people. It is thought that about 130 people are still detained in the Hamas-controlled Gaza corridor.
“This is not a Gaza-Israel war, a Palestinian-Israeli war, an Arab-Israeli war,” he told CNBC on Wednesday. “This is Iran’s war against Israel, conducted through terrorist proxies. Bolton is a well-known foreign policy hawk who has previously advocated for the United States to change the Iranian regime.
Iran accused Israel of bombing part of its embassy compound in the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday, killing seven Iranian military personnel, including three senior commanders. Tehran vows revengewhile Israel has yet to publicly acknowledge the attack.
As a dominant force in Middle East politics, Iran funds and supports groups that oppose Israel, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen. The ongoing conflict in Gaza is often referred to as a proxy war between Israel and Iran.Iran has repeatedly denied accusations that it was behind the October 7 terrorist attacks, and U.S. intelligence agencies said Iranian leaders were surprised by the attack.
In January, Iran attacked multiple targets in Iraq, Syria and Pakistan, further exacerbating already high tensions in the Middle East and raising fears of a wider war. Tehran said the attacks in Syria and Pakistan were not directly related to Israel’s war in Gaza but targeted anti-Iranian terror groups.
Bolton told CNBC that as long as the current Iranian government is in power, it will continue to be a source of threats to international peace and security.
Iran’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
More than 32,900 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched land, sea and air attacks on the tiny Palestinian enclave, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry.
Israel has recently been accused of deliberately targeting international aid workers Man from World Central Kitchen killed while delivering food to Gaza, where more than 80% of the population is reportedly High risk of death and starvation.
The killing of seven aid workers sparked an international outcry and prompted humanitarian organizations to immediately suspend operations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said their deaths were “a tragedy that our forces inadvertently attacked innocent people in Gaza.” “This happens in the middle of a war and we will investigate it,” the Israeli prime minister said.
Bolton told CNBC that there was “no indication” that Israel was deliberately targeting them and that it would be a “stupid thing” if they did. “The way to end the suffering in Gaza is to eliminate Hamas, which is the cause of the suffering,” Bolton said.
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