Iran’s retaliatory attack is imminent
Pro-Iran armed forces attack military bases, etc.
Biden: “Ceasefire Negotiations Are Getting More Difficult”
On the 13th (local time), pro-Iran armed forces, including the Palestinian armed group Hamas and the Lebanese Shiite armed group Hezbollah, simultaneously attacked Israel. This is retaliation for the death of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniya in an Israeli attack in the Iranian capital Tehran on the 31st of last month. As Iran is talking about a large-scale attack on Israel, saying it will “hold responsibility for the assassination of Haniya,” it appears that pro-Iran armed forces are attacking Israel on behalf of Iran.
There were no casualties, but Israel is also talking about retaliation against Hezbollah and Hamas, and the Middle East, the “powder keg of the world,” is falling into turmoil. U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken, who was originally scheduled to visit Israel, Qatar, and Egypt starting on the 13th to calm the Middle East situation, postponed his visit, saying, “The situation in the Middle East is uncertain.”
● Hamas and Hezbollah attack Israel simultaneously
According to Reuters and other news agencies, Hamas’s military organization, Al-Qassam Brigades, fired two M90 rockets at Tel Aviv, Israel’s largest city, on this day. This is the first time Hamas has attacked Tel Aviv since late May. The Israeli military also acknowledged Hamas’ attack, saying, “A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip fell into the central Israeli sea.”
Hezbollah also fired rockets on the same day at the Meron military base in northern Israel, and at Kfar Chouba Hill and Jal al-Deir in Israeli-occupied Lebanon. The Israeli military said on the day that it had “confirmed that at least 15 rockets entered from Lebanon.” However, Israel said there were no casualties from the two attacks.
In the wake of the successive attacks, voices within Israel, including far-right figures such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, are growing louder, calling for war against Hezbollah. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the Israeli Northern Command, which is responsible for defending the Lebanese border, is also agreeing, saying, “We must take a harder line against Hezbollah.” The WSJ expressed concern that if Israel goes to war with Iran’s powerful proxy organization, such as Hezbollah, it could lead to an all-out war between Israel and Iran, and the United States could also end up fighting Iran to help Israel in this war.
● I-Hamas ceasefire negotiations become more difficult
There are predictions that the ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel, originally scheduled for the 15th, are virtually out of the question due to concerns about an all-out war between Israel and Iran. When asked by reporters on the 13th, “If a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is reached, do you expect Iran to hold off on retaliatory attacks on Israel?”, US President Joe Biden said, “It’s becoming increasingly difficult to reach a deal,” effectively indicating that he does not expect it.
The New York Times (NYT) obtained the secret ceasefire negotiation documents from both sides late last month and reported that Israel added many new demands compared to the negotiations in late May. This suggests that the far-right Israeli coalition does not want to negotiate a ceasefire with Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is the first sitting prime minister to be put on trial for corruption, has been accused of using “external enemies” such as Hamas and Iran to extend his political life.
The United States also sees Minister Ben-Gvir’s visit to the religiously contested Temple Mount in East Jerusalem on the 13th as an attempt to provoke the Islamic world and cause conflict, thereby disrupting ceasefire negotiations. Secretary Blinken released an unusual statement calling Minister Ben-Gvir’s behavior a “provocation” and saying that it “heightened tensions at a critical moment when we are working toward negotiations.”
Reporter Lee Ki-wook [email protected]
Reporter Lee Ji-yoon [email protected]
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2024-08-15 07:18:20