“Significant Attack” – The Time

The United States has warned of a “significant” Iranian attack on Israel as early as this week – although US media are talking about an offensive in the coming hours – joining several European countries in calling on Tehran to “renounce” it. Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian said his country has the “right to respond” to any aggression against it, in a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who urged him to avoid an escalation.

The United States “shares Israel’s concern” about an imminent attack by Iran and Tehran-allied groups in the region, said John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council. Washington, which has stepped up its military presence in the Middle East in recent days, has predicted “a series of consequential attacks” by Iran and allied armed groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, which could come as early as “this week.” The topic was raised during a phone call today between President Joe Biden and the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. In a joint statement later released, they all called on Iran to “renounce” an attack that would have “serious consequences” for regional security. Both the German Chancellor and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have expressed their concerns directly in telephone conversations with the Iranian president. “Iran will never give in to pressure, sanctions and coercion, but it believes it has the right to respond to aggressors in accordance with international standards,” he said, according to a statement published by the official IRNA agency following a telephone conversation with the German leader.

The White House acknowledged that if this Iranian attack were to occur, it “could certainly impact discussions” planned for Thursday on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, accompanied by the release of Israeli hostages held there. The spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas announced that its fighters had “killed one hostage” and “wounded two female prisoners” in “two separate incidents” in the Gaza Strip, where 111 Israelis are still being held hostage, 39 of whom have died, according to the Israeli military.