Iran, alarm goes off for retaliation. USA ready to send fighters –

The United States, according to the latest revelations by the New York Times, is preparing to send more fighter jets to the Middle East, fearing a retaliation in the coming days by Iran and its proxies in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen to avenge the death of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, killed in Tehran on the night between 30 and 31 July. The Biden administration is in fact sure that Iran will launch an attack that will probably follow the same pattern as the one that occurred on 13 April. US officials rule out that it will be a large-scale attack and hypothesize that “Tehran will take time to decide on the type of response to launch” and to evaluate whether and which allies to involve. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in the United Kingdom, the retaliation could consist of a drone launch towards Israel from Syria, the desert or areas near Damascus.

Western intelligence sources have told Sky News Arabia that Iran and Hezbollah may choose “the saddest day in the Jewish calendar” to launch their retaliation, the anniversary of the Destruction of the Temple, known as Tisha B’Av, which falls between August 12 and 13 this year. All sides fear an escalation in the region. Some Arab media have reported that Hezbollah is moving its military equipment from Beirut to more distant areas and is evacuating its leaders from the group’s strongholds in the southern outskirts of the Lebanese capital, in anticipation of possible Israeli attacks. The risk of a wider conflict is also worrying France, which has asked its citizens in Iran “to leave as soon as possible.” According to Axios, US President Joe Biden has asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a harsh phone call to put an end to the escalation in the region.

Biden also said he was “very concerned” after the killing of Haniyeh, who “does not help the negotiations for a ceasefire”. Today the burial of the political leader of Hamas was held in Doha, Qatar, where thousands of people paid homage to him. The Turkish embassy in Israel also wanted to mark the mourning by lowering flags to half-mast outside its diplomatic headquarters in Tel Aviv. The gesture was not appreciated by Israeli Foreign Minister Katz who summoned the Ankara diplomat for a “severe reprimand”. “If the representatives of the embassy want to cry, they should go to Turkey and cry alongside their master, Erdogan, who embraces the terrorist organization Hamas and supports its acts of murder and terror”, added Katz on social media. “It is impossible to achieve peace by killing subjects and negotiators and threatening diplomats”, was Turkey’s response.