2024-04-16 08:13:03
The US believes that an Iranian retaliatory strike against Israel is imminent. Germany calls on citizens to leave Iran.
The Middle East is waiting – for the retaliatory strike announced by Iran. US President Joe Biden expects this “sooner than later”. The situation is getting worse: According to media reports, Iran has already prepared 100 missiles for attack and the USA should prepare to intercept them. Iran has also begun to relocate drones and missiles, reported the US broadcaster CNN.
The Foreign Office in Berlin has asked all German nationals in Iran to leave the country. At the same time, it warned against traveling to Iran. “The current tensions in the region, particularly between Israel and Iran, pose the risk of a sudden escalation,” the Foreign Office said on Friday evening. Accordingly, the security situation can deteriorate quickly and without warning. “It cannot be ruled out that air, land and sea transport routes could also be affected by an escalation, with corresponding possible impairments of travel to and from Iran,” it said.
US President Joe Biden is still trying to prevent an Iranian strike with appeals: “Let it go,” he told reporters directed at Tehran. At the same time, the 81-year-old made it clear that he was on Israel’s side. “We are committed to the defense of Israel,” he emphasized. “We will help defend Israel, and Iran will not succeed.”
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Israel announces response to retaliatory strike
Israel says it is prepared for a possible retaliatory strike by Iran. “A direct Iranian attack will require an appropriate Israeli response against Iran,” Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant said in a conversation with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin, the Israeli government announced.
Austin reassured Galant of “ironclad U.S. support for Israel’s defense in the face of growing threats from Iran and its regional proxies,” according to the Pentagon. As the Wall Street Journal reported, citing an unnamed source, Israel is preparing for an attack by Iran on the south or north of Israel, which could occur “in the next 24 to 48 hours.”
Diplomatic efforts to de-escalate
After more than six months of the Gaza war, there is no end to the conflict in sight. Instead, the conflict threatened to spread to other countries in the region. After a suspected Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy compound in Syria on April 1, threats from Tehran towards Israel recently increased. The attack was like an attack on Iranian territory and Israel must be punished, Iran’s head of state Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has expressed concern about a possible impending retaliatory attack by Iran on Israel. The situation is being taken “very seriously,” said Scholz after a meeting with the new Georgian Prime Minister Iraqi Kobachidze in Berlin. Both he and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) did everything they could to make it clear to Iran “that there should not be (…) any military activity here.”
USA increases military presence
In view of the possible retaliation, the USA is increasing its military presence in the region. A US defense official confirmed this to the German Press Agency. “We are deploying additional assets to the region to strengthen regional deterrence efforts and increase force protection for U.S. forces,” the official said.