THE commander-in-chief of Israel’s armed forces has vowed to respond to the Iranian attack. On the other hand, Tel Aviv’s allied countries are reluctant to prolong the conflict.
During the six months of war between Israel and the Hamas group in Gaza, Iran’s proxies in the region have stepped up attacks once morest Israel and its allies. The aim is to liberate Palestinians in Gaza from Israeli colonialism.
Tensions were already high before Iran launched its first attack on Israeli territory, firing hundreds of missiles and drones in retaliation for the deadly April 1 attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
“The launch of so many (Iranian) missiles, cruise missiles and UAVs into the territory of the State of Israel will be responded to favorably,” Israeli Armed Forces Commander Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said Monday, speaking to troops at the hit Nevati airbase. Iran’s attack on Saturday (14/3) night.
The Israeli army said most of the missiles were shot down with the help of the United States (US) and other allies and the attacks caused only minor damage.
Western countries warned once morest escalation. However, Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had held a cabinet meeting to determine his response to Iran.
Also read: Netanyahu agrees to more talks, five Gaza residents die in food aid
Iran has previously said its problems with Israel are over unless it launches new attacks. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told China
that Iran is willing to exercise restraint and has no intention of escalating tensions further.
Top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi said Iran might handle the situation well and avoid further turmoil in the Middle East region. The US has repeatedly called on China, Iran’s close partner, to use its influence with Tehran to control tensions in the Middle East.
Also read: Biden asks Hamas to accept ceasefire during Ramadan
Israel issued its first official comment on the attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria that sparked weekend attacks in Tehran. Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the targets in Damascus were entirely people Israel labels as terrorists.
“These are people involved in terrorism once morest the State of Israel. As far as I know, there is not a single diplomat there,” he said.
The attack killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards, two of whom were generals. Iran has described the retaliatory missile and drone attacks as the first action in a tough new strategy.
Also read: Iran threatens Israeli attacks in Lebanon, a sign of Netanyahu’s end
Iran’s deputy chief of staff for political affairs, Mohammad Jamshidi, wrote in X that the era of strategic patience was over, and further targeting of Iranian personnel and assets would be met with an immediate and punitive response.
The head of the UN atomic watchdog revealed that Iran had temporarily closed its nuclear facilities due to security considerations following launching a retaliatory attack.
Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi said the facility is expected to reopen on Monday (15/4), but the inspectors will only return on Tuesday (16/4), or when we see that the situation has completely calmed down.
US President Joe Biden has told Netanyahu that Washington will not offer military support for any retaliation once morest Iran, according to a senior US official.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that a vote on a new military aid package for Israel might take place as early as Friday (19/4). The package was stalled in the House by right-wing Republicans backing Johnson who opposed new military funding for Ukraine that was also included in the bill.
Call of Armistice
Following last weekend’s attacks, the Israeli military said it would not be distracted from the ongoing war once morest Hamas in Gaza. Israeli forces continued to operate in central Gaza, and tanks killed a number of terrorists identified as moving towards Gaza residents.
“The fighter jets destroyed terror tunnels and military compounds where armed Hamas terrorists were located,” the Israeli military said.
The Hamas attack on October 7 that sparked the war in Gaza resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to Israeli figures.
Israeli counterattacks have killed at least 33,797 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory.
Israel estimates that 129 hostages captured in the October 7 attack, including 34 people believed to have been killed, are still in Gaza.
At a White House meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani, Biden said he was committed to a ceasefire that would return the hostages and prevent the conflict from escalating beyond what it already is.
Reflecting the domestic pressure Biden is experiencing, and global calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on Monday (15/4).
Israel’s attacks on Hamas have triggered a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, resulting in shortages of food, medicine and drinking water. (AFP/Cah/Z-7)
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