War in the Middle East
Reports of explosion in Iran
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hussein Amirabdollahian warned Israel clearly against military action against his country. photo
© Vahid Salemi/AP/dpa
Concerns about a wildfire are growing in the Middle East. State media in Iran are now reporting an explosion and air defenses have been activated in several provinces. The news at a glance.
Iranian media has reported amid dangerous tensions in Middle East reported an explosion far inland. According to the Fars news agency, the reason for the explosion that night near the metropolis of Isfahan was still unknown. It therefore occurred near the airport in the city of millions. As Fars reported on Telegram, there is also a military base there. According to state media, air defense was activated in several provinces of the country and operations were suspended at several airports.
The US broadcaster ABC News reported, citing a US government representative, that Israeli missiles had hit an – initially unspecified – target in Iran. The state news agency Irna also reported an explosion in Isfahan province that night. According to the army, a rocket alarm was triggered shortly afterwards in northern Israel.
Important facilities for the Iranian defense industry are located in Isfahan. The country’s largest nuclear research center is also located in the cultural city. Iran attacked Israel with hundreds of drones, cruise missiles and rockets on Sunday night. The background was a suspected Israeli-led attack on the Iranian embassy compound in the Syrian capital Damascus, in which two generals of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard were killed at the beginning of April. Israel had announced that it wanted to respond to the Iranian retaliatory attack.
State media: No signs of missile attack
After activating air defenses in various parts of Iran, there are no indications of a missile attack on the country, according to state media. The state news agency Irna reported that it was not a widespread attack. According to the Tasnim news agency, the air defense was activated after several small flying objects were sighted. The Iranian government denied reports that the Security Council had met for an emergency meeting.
Iran’s foreign minister warns Israel
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hussein Amirabdollahian warned Israel clearly against military action against his country before the recent events. “In the event that the Israeli regime again resorts to adventurism and acts against Iran’s interests, our next response will be immediate and at the highest level,” he said in an interview with the U.S. at the UN Security Council headquarters in New York. TV channel CNN.
Iran hopes that Israel will not repeat “the previous egregious mistake,” Amirabdollahian said. He was referring to the airstrike on Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus on April 1. Israel had also repelled the Iranian retaliatory attack with the help of partners in the region.
The attack was carried out as a “legitimate defense under international law,” Amirabdollahian told the UN Security Council. It is feared that a major Israeli counterattack could lead to a conflagration in the Middle East. It was therefore eagerly awaited to see how far the G7 foreign ministers meeting on the Italian Mediterranean island of Capri would go with criticism of Iran and the announcement of additional sanctions against the Islamic Republic in their final statement this Friday.
Regarding the major Iranian attack on Israel with hundreds of rockets and drones, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) said in the ZDF “heute-journal” that the federal government, together with the EU, had significantly tightened the tone towards the leadership in Tehran and had now introduced “numerous sanctions regimes brought”. She rejected the criticism that sanctions were virtually useless and showed helplessness. Rather, they showed countries like Iran and Russia that their goal of brutally breaking with the peaceful world order would not be tolerated.
USA and Israel discuss offensive in Rafah
Meanwhile, according to the White House, high-ranking US government officials expressed their concerns about a military offensive in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip during a call with representatives of the Israeli government. The Israeli side has agreed to take the concerns into account. The White House said their common goal was to defeat the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas in Rafah. The Israelis also agreed to remain in contact with the US side on the issue. There should be further consultations soon.
The USA, as Israel’s most important ally, and Germany have repeatedly warned the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against a large-scale offensive in Rafah. The city on the border with Egypt is currently overcrowded with hundreds of thousands of refugees. Before Iran’s major attack on Israel with missiles and drones at the weekend, Netanyahu announced that there was already a date for an offensive. However, Israel’s Defense Minister Joav Galant contradicted this account shortly afterwards.
US veto against full UN membership for Palestine
Meanwhile, a resolution for full membership of a Palestinian state in the United Nations failed in the UN Security Council due to a US veto. Twelve member countries voted for the resolution in New York, Switzerland and Great Britain abstained.
Meanwhile, a resolution for full membership of a Palestinian state in the United Nations failed in the UN Security Council due to a US veto. Twelve member countries voted for the resolution in New York, Switzerland and Great Britain abstained. Due to the veto of the USA, which is a permanent member of the most powerful UN body, the adoption of the draft resolution failed. The US government takes the position that an agreement with Israel on a two-state solution is a prerequisite for recognizing full UN membership for Palestine.