2024-08-12 18:56:21
The US government fears that retaliatory strikes against Israel by Iran and its allies may be imminent. The United States shared Israel’s assessment that this could happen “this week,” National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby said. It is an assessment on the part of the United States that agrees with the assessment of the Israelis, he emphasized.
“It’s hard to say at this point what an attack by Iran and its proxies would look like,” Kirby said. “But we have to be prepared for a series of possible attacks that could be significant.” For this reason, the US increased its military presence in the region. At the same time, Kirby warned that no one wants further escalation in the Middle East.
The US military has recently increased its presence there in several steps in light of Iran’s counter-attack on Israel. The US, Israel’s most important ally, brought additional warships and fighter jets to the region.
An Israeli army spokesman said on Monday that there had been no change in orders for the home front for the time being. We are monitoring developments in Iran together with our allies. “We take the statements of our enemies very seriously,” the spokesman said.
After the killing of the military commander of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the head of the Islamic alliance Hamas in Tehran, Iran and Hezbollah announced a massive retaliation. The foreign chief of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, died in an explosion at an Iranian government guesthouse in late July. Iran blames Israel. The country has not commented on this yet. Israel later claimed responsibility for the targeted killing of a Hezbollah military commander.
Israel’s armed forces have been on high alert for days. Israel’s Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi emphasized after a meeting with high-ranking military officers that the army is still at a high level of readiness to prepare for offensive and defensive measures.
The US and its European allies Germany, Great Britain, Italy and France supported Israel with a joint statement. The message from US President Joe Biden and the heads of state and government of the four European countries said that “an attack on Iran would have serious consequences for the security of the region”. Tehran should “stop its constant threats of military attack on Israel.”
Efforts to de-escalate the situation and reach an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip would be supported, the statement added. “It is important not to waste more time,” explained the five politicians after a joint telephone conversation. Therefore, as suggested by the US, Egypt and Qatar, negotiations should resume this week.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also tried to influence Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian in telephone calls. As Sky News reported, Starmer tried to dismount. Scholz expressed his “deep concern about the risk of regional conflagration.” He called on the Iranian leadership to “prevent further military escalation.”
In the evening, the state news agency Irna in Tehran published a statement from Pezeshkian about the phone call with Scholz. The president referred to Iran’s right “to respond to aggressors in accordance with international rules,” the statement said. The whole world expects the Europeans, and especially Germany, to work to “end the genocide” in the Gaza Strip instead of continuing to support Israel.
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