April 15, 2024
Attack on Israel in the live ticker
+++ 04:20 Report: Hamas proposes new hostage deal to Israel +++
During the indirect negotiations in the Gaza war, the Islamist Hamas is said to have presented the mediators with a counter-proposal for a hostage deal. This only provides for the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip after a 42-day ceasefire, the Israeli newspaper “Haaretz” reported on Monday night, citing Palestinian sources and Arabic sources.
+++ 03:52 Israel’s war cabinet hesitates to decide on a retaliatory strike +++
According to media reports, Israel’s leadership has not yet decided how to respond to the Iranian attack at the weekend. The war cabinet did not make a decision on how to proceed after more than three hours of deliberations, reports the Times of Israel newspaper. Further talks should be held in the coming days, the news portal “Axios” also reports, citing an Israeli official. Several options for a possible Israeli retaliation were discussed at the meeting.
+++ 03:20 Six missiles, 80 threats: US military presents launch balance +++
The US military said it intercepted and destroyed more than 80 drones and at least six ballistic missiles aimed at Israel on Saturday and Sunday with the support of destroyers from the US European Command. The US Central Command (Centcom) said on X that the missiles were fired from Iran and Yemen. “Centcom remains ready to support Israel’s defense against these dangerous actions by Iran. We will continue to work with all of our regional partners to enhance regional security.”
+++ 02:45 Israel’s UN representative emphasizes the right to retribution +++
During the debate in the UN Security Council, Israel’s UN representative Gilad Erdan announced consequences. Iran has “crossed every red line” and his country now has the right to retaliate. “We are not a frog in boiling water. We are a land of lions. After such a massive and direct attack on Israel, the whole world – and Israel most of all – cannot remain passive. We will defend our future,” says Erdan. Iranian UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani says the Islamic Republic exercised its right to self-defense: “These actions were necessary and proportionate.”
+++ 02:10 “USA doesn’t want escalation”: Blinken speaks with foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan +++
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken consulted with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt following the Iranian attack on Israel. The US State Department explains that Blinken also spoke on the phone with the Turkish Foreign Minister. In the separate talks, Blinken reiterated that the US did not want any escalation. At the same time, he reiterated that the USA would continue to support Israel in its defense. Blinken also spoke with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Schukry about expanding humanitarian aid for the people in the Gaza Strip.
+++ 01:10 UN Secretary General Guterres calls for restraint +++
At a meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urgently warned against an escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran. “Neither the region nor the world can afford further war,” says Guterres. “The Middle East is on the brink. People in the region face the real threat of a devastating, all-out conflict.” It is now time to “defuse and de-escalate” the conflict, warns Guterres and calls for “maximum restraint” from all sides.
+++ 00:19 France summons Iran’s ambassador +++
France summons Tehran’s ambassador after Iran’s attack on Israel. French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné says he will send “a message of determination” to the Iranian ambassador at Monday’s meeting. Tehran bears full responsibility for the escalation, says Séjourné on France 2. “It was the Iranians who attacked Israel,” he clarifies.
+++ 23:47 Foreign Ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia on the phone +++
The foreign ministers of arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran spoke on the phone, according to the state-run Saudi Arabian news agency. Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah was called late in the evening by his colleague in Tehran, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, it is said. Their conversation was about the latest developments in the region after the Iranian attack on Israel. According to Qatari state media, the Qatari Foreign Minister also had a telephone conversation with Amir-Abdollahian. There is currently no statement from the government in Tehran.
+++ 23:14 Israel’s Foreign Minister: Iran must “pay a price” +++
After talks with his British counterpart David Cameron and French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz emphasized that Iran must pay a price for its attack on Israel. He told them that it was time for them to weaken the Iranian regime, writes Katz on
+++ 22:44 Iran’s Security Council warns “Zionist regime” +++
Iran’s National Security Council has warned Israel against a military response to the retaliatory strikes. “If the Zionist regime wants to continue its viciousness against Iran, it will receive a response that is at least ten times greater than the recent attack,” the Nur News portal quoted, citing a statement from the council. Iran chose the smallest form of punishment for Israel and only attacked military facilities, the statement continued.
+++ 22:19 Politicians call for a ban on the Islamic Center Hamburg +++
In the debate about Germany’s appropriate response to the Iranian attack against Israel, the controversial Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) has once again come into focus. The deputy chairman of the Green Party in the Bundestag, Konstantin von Notz, called for the IZH to be closed. The center had failed to clearly distance itself from extremists for years, he told “Welt”. “I therefore expect that all constitutional means will now be exhausted immediately to finally ban the IZH and prevent any activities.” The CDU politician Jürgen Hardt and the left-wing politician Martina Renner also called for the IZH to be closed in response to the Iranian attack.
+++ 22:15 Video: Mood in Jerusalem the day after +++
The day after the Iranian attack, the prevailing opinion in the Israeli capital Jerusalem was: “Nobody here wants a big war.”
+++ 22:02 Only victim in Israel: Bedouin girl in mortal danger +++
According to the Magen David Adom rescue service, the only person injured in Iran’s major attack on Israel is a seven-year-old girl. She is a Bedouin woman from the area around the city of Arad in the Negev Desert. As Israeli media report, Amina al-Hassouni lives with her family in an Arab Bedouin village that is not recognized by the state. In such villages there is no electricity, water supply, sirens or shelters. As a result, the family ran outside when they heard explosions from the anti-aircraft missiles. Amina was hit by a rocket. Family members took her to the nearest hospital by car. According to an emergency services spokeswoman, the girl’s life is still in danger. It suffered serious head injuries, she said.
You can read the events of the previous day here.