Middle East, Iran rejects appeals and looks to negotiations. Hamas rockets towards Tel Aviv –

The call for moderation launched by France, Germany and the United Kingdom was rejected by Iran. “The statement of the three countries mentioned, without any objection to the international crimes of the Zionist regime, impudently demands the Islamic Republic of Iran not to act as a deterrent against the regime that violates our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Tehran, Nasser Kanani. Therefore, he added, “such requests lack political logic and are completely contrary to the principles and rules of international law.” No step back therefore on the expected retaliation to avenge the killing in Tehran of the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh. A turning point could however be the resumption of negotiations, scheduled for August 15 in a location yet to be defined, in which an attempt will be made for the umpteenth time to reach an agreement on the ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages. Iranian officials told Israeli media that if a deal is reached, Tehran may also “hold off” on the attack, which will instead take place if “the talks fail or if there is a perception that Israel is dragging out the negotiations.”

A small “retaliation for the massacres and forced displacements perpetrated by Israel” was meanwhile launched by the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, which claimed responsibility for the two long-range M-90 rockets, with a range of 90 km, aimed in the early afternoon at Tel Aviv. One of these fell into the sea off the coast of central Israel, while a second failed to cross the border and fell inside Gaza. Both did not cause any casualties. Hamas had not aimed its missiles at the Israeli capital since May. According to some senior officials of the Palestinian group, Haniyeh’s successor and current leader Yahya Sinwar is not interested in retaliation but is more in favor of supporting a ceasefire that involves the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the territories of the offensive and in particular from the Philadelphia corridor area, so as to allow displaced civilians to return to their homes. Sinwar, according to sources close to him, does not support Hamas’ participation in the next round of negotiations unless Israel stops its military campaign in the Palestinian enclave. In an attempt to once again favor the diplomatic path to resolving the conflict, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected back in the region, while Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which she reiterated her strong hope that an agreement can be found for a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages. Meloni also underlined the importance of de-escalation at the regional level, including along the Israeli-Lebanese border.