Iran's president warns Israel against new offensive on Gaza

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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-04/03/c_13236403.htm

Iran's president warns Israel against new offensive on Gaza

English.news.cn 2010-04-03 19:49:37

TEHRAN, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday

warned against an alleged Israeli plan to launch a new military offensive

against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Iran's English-language satellite

channel Press TV reported.

In his speech at the inauguration of the Middle East's biggest iron ore pellet

factory in the southern Iranian city of Sirjan, Ahmadinejad condemned Israel's

" continued crimes " in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon, stressing that

Israel " is the sole obstacle to the establishment of peace and security in the

region. "

He also said Israel has " clearly been given carte blanche by Western powers to

commit whatever crime it pleases and violate whatever law it deems necessary. "

Ahmadinejad's remarks came only one day after Israeli Deputy Prime Minister

Silvan Shalom warned Hamas that patience in the Jewish state was wearing thin

and threatened to launch a fresh military offensive in Gaza.

Israeli warplanes struck several targets in the southern Gaza Strip early on

Friday, Palestinian witnesses said, adding they heard three explosions and the

buzz of the warplanes which flew over the enclave.

The Israeli airstrikes came in response to an earlier homemade rocket attack

carried out by Gaza militants. Israeli Radio reported that a rocket fired from

Gaza landed at Hof Askol in southern Israel, but there have been no report of

casualties.