Iran's President Says Israel Has Crossed the Red Line, PM Netanyahu Says Ground Operation is Measured and Reasonable

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. (Wikimedia Commons/Tasnim News Agency/Amir Sadeghan)

JAKARTA - Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Israel's crimes had crossed a red line, as the death toll in the Gaza Strip continued to increase, insinuating the support of the United States, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assessed the ground operation decision as measured and reasonable.

In his post on social media Sunday, President Raisi said Israel had crossed a red line, which could force everyone to take action.

“The crimes of the Zionist regime have crossed a red line, which may force everyone to take action. "Washington asked us not to do anything, but they still provide broad support to Israel," said President Raisi in his post, reported by CNN, October 30.

"The US sent a message to the Resistance Axis but received a clear response on the battlefield," said President Raisi.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military is thought to have advanced more than two miles from the Gaza-Israel border, in line with the PM Netanyahu government's decision to begin a ground operation into Gaza, according to an analysis of video published by Israeli media.

Troops in the video, taken on Saturday, are seen placing Israeli flags on the roof of a resort hotel in Gaza. CNN geolocated the video to an area about two miles from the Gaza-Israel border.

"Soldiers from the 52nd Battalion of the 401st Brigade raised the Israeli flag in the heart of Gaza City, on the waterfront," said a soldier in the video, which was taken a few miles north of the center of Gaza City.

"We will not forgive or forget, and we will not stop until victory," he continued.

The video was published by the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom. CNN has asked the Israel Defense Forces to comment on the video, and why the army placed an Israeli flag on the hotel roof.

Separately, PM Netanyahu said his troops had crossed into the Gaza Strip to eliminate Palestinian militants Hamas, as well as to free hostages held after the October 7 attack, in which around 1,400 citizens were killed.

"Our ground troops passed through the Gaza gates to enter the den of evil. This is a war with a clear goal, namely to destroy the power of Hamas and return the hostages," he said in a televised speech, quoted by TASS.

PM Netanyahu spoke together with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Benny Gantz, an opposition leader and member of the war cabinet.

He emphasized that the decision to “expand ground operations” in Gaza was taken unanimously by the military cabinet.

“We do it in a measured and reasonable way, because we are responsible for the fate of the country and have an obligation to take care of our soldiers. "The fighters and commanders who are now fighting on enemy territory know that their people and leadership are behind them," he said.

As of Sunday, the death toll in Gaza had risen to 7,960 according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah, citing data from sources in the Hamas-controlled enclave.

The ministry report said 73 percent of those killed were from vulnerable populations, including children, women, and the elderly. In addition, the death toll includes 116 medical personnel.

These latest figures come as Israel's war with Hamas has entered its next stage, after they expanded ground operations in the enclave.

"The war in Gaza will last a long time," said PM Netanyahu Saturday.