Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Monday that a cease-fire and an exchange of prisoners would be acceptable and fair in the Israeli-Lebanese conflict.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.
Photo: AP , AP
Mottaki was speaking after talks with Syrian Vice-President Farouk al-Sharaa.
"We believe that we should think of an acceptable and fair (deal) to resolve this," he said. "In fact, there can be a cease-fire followed by a prisoner swap."
On Sunday, Lebanese officials said that Israel had sent the terms of a possible cease-fire through Italian mediators. The terms were the release of two captured Israeli soldiers, and a Hezbollah pullback to roughly 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli-Lebanese border.
"The circumstances prevailing in the region are not in the interests of the Zionist entity," Mottaki added. "The attack launched by Israel was orchestrated."
Iran and Syria are the principal sponsors of Hizbullah and the two countries have applauded the group's capture of the two IDF soldiers.
On Sunday, Iran threatened "unimaginable damage" to Israel if it were to attack Syria. Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Hizbullah was winning its fight against Israel.
Syria has also warned that any attack would be met by "a firm and direct response whose timing and methods are unlimited."
