The International Community calls for self-restraint and calmness, following the strike on Iran, which Tehran continues to downplay. “They were children’s toys and not drones,” characteristically stated the Iranian Foreign Minister, who reiterates that his country does not wish to continue unless provoked. US officials said it was three missiles fired by Israeli warplanes, with the White House and Tel Aviv remaining tight-lipped.
Iran considers that it was not attacked by Israel and continues to downplay the blow, confirming estimates that all parties involved are ready to close, at least temporarily, the chapter of direct Israel-Iran conflict. “It has not been proven for us that there is any connection between what happened and Israel,” said the Iranian foreign minister and emphasized that what happened was not an attack.
According to the New York Times and Western officials, the attack was carried out by a drone from inside Iran but also by a missile from an Israeli aircraft, which evaded Iranian air defenses and hit a radar target near Isfahan, and the Natanz nuclear facility in the center of the country. It is considered an attack – a message to Tehran regarding what may follow if it strikes Israel directly once more.
“Both sides here are trying to… save the pretences. The Israelis are trying to do something here but not so big that it will disturb the allies too, so in this case they were careful – as said – and informed their American allies not to get their approval but at least their acceptance and the Iranians are very careful not to over-emphasize it right now…” reports SkyNews analyst Michael Clarke.
In the Gaza Strip, concern over the threatened ground operation in Rafah is intensifying. The Israeli attacks in southern and central Gaza continued with Palestinian sources speaking of at least 9 dead in the last hours, including 6 children, while in the West Bank, a large-scale operation by the Israeli army is ongoing for the second 24 hours. As it became known, 10 armed men were killed and 8 Palestinians, wanted for Israel, were arrested…
The strike once morest a base in Iraq is a “riddle”.
Mystery surrounds the attack on a military base in Iraq, 50 km from Baghdad, where pro-Iranian militiamen, part of the Iraqi army, are based. Americans and Israelis deny any involvement in the attack that left one dead and eight injured.
Information is conflicting and the incident is under investigation. The deadly explosion occurred at ammunition depots at the Kalso military base, a former US base handed over to the Iraqi army in 2011 and located 50km south of Baghdad.
There is the base of an umbrella organization of pro-Iranian militias who have joined the Iraqi army and have attacked American targets in the region – a few times.
The pro-Iranian Popular Mobilization Forces say the explosion at their command post was the result of an airstrike and blamed the US for the attack. While Iraqi security services announced that no drones or fighter jets were detected in the airspace of the area before or during the blast, a technical committee is at the scene investigating the cause of the blast.
The US military has denied any involvement. While an Israeli official, speaking to CNN on the condition of anonymity, assured that Israel is not responsible.
Diplomatic fever in Turkey
As Qatar announces it is reviewing its stance on its mediating role in the Gaza war and Hamas is reportedly looking for a new headquarters, the head of the organization’s political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, met for 2.5 hours in Istanbul with Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The visit of Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Qatar was preceded three days ago, where he met with Hanige, reports ERTNews correspondent in Istanbul, Yiannis Mandalidis. If Qatar withdraws from mediation efforts, Turkey might seek to boost its mediation profile based on its ties to Hamas.
Today was a day of intense diplomatic activity, focusing on developments in the Middle East. Mobility which cannot be ruled out to set new conditions in the war scene in the region. Apart from Haniyeh, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry was also in Istanbul today.
His meeting with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan takes on particular significance in anticipation of a possible Israeli military operation in Rafah and the role that Egypt and Turkey can play together in dealing with the humanitarian crisis. The two ministers reiterated their demand for an immediate ceasefire and a two-state solution to the Palestinian issue.
Fidan, for his part, argued that the war in Gaza had activated “tectonic rifts” on a global scale between the oppressed and the oppressors in the fight to overthrow what he said was an unjust system of global hegemony.
Congress time…
Today, the Biden administration’s bill for the $95 billion package will be put to a vote in Congress, of which $61 billion is earmarked for Kiev, while funds will be allocated for Israel and Taiwan.
Iran’s attack last Saturday was the catalyst for the parliamentary procedures for sending aid to Israel to move so quickly. And along with Israel, Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific region also win, as the bills that are expected to be passed later today concern aid of 95 billion to these three destinations, emphasizes ERTNews Washington correspondent Lena Argyri. 26 of that goes to Israel to bolster its security, with regarding 5 billion earmarked for its anti-missile shield and air defense systems.
What matters is that the need to send aid to Israel is recognized by both parties, and the reason that not all Republicans voted to advance the bills was their opposition to sending aid to Ukraine. This development was actually announced by President Biden as soon as the attack by Iran took place. If the bill passes, we will probably have political developments inside America…
Source: ertnews
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