An Iranian lawmaker said Iran-aligned armed groups remain active against Israel and the United States despite the new ceasefire in Gaza, Iranian media reported on Thursday. Iran has otherwise largely remained silent on the new Gaza ceasefire.
“Groups in the resistance front are today stronger and more active than two years ago against America and Israel,” Behnam Saeedi, secretary of parliament’s national security commission, told Didban Iran, referring to militias backed by Tehran in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Gaza.
Saeedi dismissed US President Donald Trump’s peace initiative as unreliable. “Any plan that takes sovereignty away from the Palestinian people is doomed to fail,” he said.
Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on a ceasefire after two years of war in Gaza, with terms set out in a 20-point US proposal presented by Trump and backed by Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. The plan would see the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, the freeing of Palestinian prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from parts of the enclave, and the entry of aid.
Israel’s government is meeting later Thursday to vote on the deal, which is widely expected to pass. If approved, a truce will go into immediate effect and the release of hostages is due to begin within days. Families of hostages in Israel and residents in Gaza have already staged celebrations at the news.
While regional leaders from Egypt to Qatar hailed the breakthrough, Iranian state officials and media have so far shown little reaction to the Gaza agreement.
Iran’s only public comment came from government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani, who said Tuesday Tehran would support any lasting peace that benefits Palestinians. Trump said Iran had sent “a very strong signal” it wanted to see progress toward an agreement.
