The attack on Iran is condemned in the Arab world. Observers speculate about Israel’s role and suspect that it could be a test for Iran.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry is deeply concerned, it is said from Cairo. The parties involved – Israel and Iran – are urged to exercise maximum restraint. We will be in contact with all sides. With these few words, Egypt continues to offer itself as a mediator.
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi also calls for an end to Israeli and Iranian attacks and counterattacks. A further escalation of the situation in the Middle East, which has been tense for days, would endanger the entire region.
Oman, which had also taken on a mediating role in the past, is becoming clearer: it condemns the Israeli attack on Iran, said a Foreign Ministry spokesman in Muscat. It has not yet been officially confirmed who was behind the attack.
Has the US successfully exerted pressure?
Assad Awat, a Syrian brigadier general, said on the Saudi TV channel Al-Hadath: “The USA will have put pressure on Israel so that the attack is only of this magnitude and does not lead to further escalation.” He speculates that as a “price” the Israelis received the green light from the Americans for the next military operation in Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
“At the military level, neither Israel nor Iran want an escalation. It is a kind of addition to the Iranian idea that took place last weekend,” he says, describing the tense situation.
“Israel tests Iran’s readiness”
Masoud Elfack, the channel’s Iran specialist from the United Arab Emirates, is sitting in the Al-Arabyia studio: “It seems that both sides want a confrontation without expanding the confrontation,” he analyzes. He also speculates about the motivation of the parties to the conflict: “It could also be that Israel is testing Iran’s willingness to escalate further.”
The still unclear course of the attack and the question of who exactly is responsible leaves the commentators on Arabic TV channels plenty of scope to talk about possible consequences. Political scientist Aaref Nassr joined Al-Arabyia from London: “I believe that Iran is practically sacrificing the Gaza Strip in order to secure the existence of the Iranian regime and avoid war,” is his thesis.
Hidden message to Iran’s allies?
But political scientist Nassr also sees a hidden message to its allies in Tehran’s actions: “This is a message to all Iranian militias that maintaining its regime is much more important to Iran than the situation in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria or any other Country.”
Concerned but reserved: This is how the Arab reactions to the possible Israeli attack on Iran can be summarized.
Udo Schmidt, SWR, tagesschau, April 19, 2024 3:09 p.m