War in the Middle East: Appeals to Israel and Iran to refrain from violence

While Israel’s closest allies are urging Israel to refrain from a harsh counter-reaction after the major Iranian attack, the Jewish state reserves its own decision on how to proceed. The EU called on both Israel and Iran to refrain from further attacks on each other. All parties are urged to exercise extreme restraint and not to take any action that could increase tensions in the region, said a statement from the heads of state and government released at the EU summit in Brussels.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres also once again called for “utmost restraint” in the face of “dangerous rhetoric in the region,” as his spokesman said. According to the Israeli news site Ynet, Israel’s war cabinet wants to discuss today a response to the Iranian attack, the stalled negotiations over a hostage deal in the Gaza war and the intensified conflict with the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

Following crisis talks with Germany and Great Britain, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he appreciated “suggestions and advice.” However, Israel will make its own decisions and “do everything necessary to defend itself,” said Netanyahu after meetings with Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and British Foreign Minister David Cameron.

Before flying on to the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Capri, Baerbock urged Iran and Israel to exercise “maximum restraint.” She warned: “An escalation spiral would serve no one.” The foreign ministers of the group of seven economically strong democracies are now discussing further sanctions against Iran in view of the threat of a conflagration.

Iran renews warning of Israeli retaliation

The Iranian attack on Israel on Sunday night with hundreds of drones and missiles was triggered by a suspected Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus. At the beginning of the month, two generals from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard were killed.

Israel has already announced retaliation for Iran’s attack. Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi renewed his warning against a counterattack. If Israel were to exercise even the slightest “aggression” against Iran, the Iranian response would be “devastating” and the Israelis would bitterly regret it, Raisi said, according to Tasnim news agency.

Conflict with pro-Iranian Hezbollah intensifies

Meanwhile, Israel’s air force said it attacked military infrastructure of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in northern Lebanon after an attack from Lebanon that left numerous injured. The facility in the Baalbek area is used by Hezbollah’s air defense system, it said. At least 14 soldiers were injured in northern Israel in an attack from Lebanon, the Israeli military said earlier.

Israeli media reported, citing a treating clinic, that 18 people were injured. According to the Times of Israel, four civilians were among the victims. The Al-Manar television station, controlled by the pro-Iranian Shiite militia in Lebanon, reported that a building in which Israeli soldiers were staying had been fired upon. There were victims among them, it was said.

Prosor calls for the EU to “change course” towards Iran

Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, meanwhile called on the EU to “change course” in its policy towards Iran. After the major Iranian attack on his country, Europe must “take a clear stance,” the ambassador told the “Rheinische Post”. “For example, by listing the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. The Revolutionary Guard spreads terror and violence in the Middle East and beyond,” said Prosor. “It’s Europe’s turn. We have seen that it has not been possible to contain the dangers posed by Iran. We need a change of course.”

Chancellor Olaf Scholz sees a possible approach for classifying the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization. There is a verdict on the question of the activities of this organization, said Scholz on the sidelines of the EU summit. This could be a starting point for listing the Revolutionary Guards. A legal review of the issue is currently underway in the EU.

US House of Representatives to vote on aid to Israel

Meanwhile, after months of blocking a major US aid package for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific, a vote in the US House of Representatives is likely imminent. The chamber’s chairman, Mike Johnson, said he expected a vote on Saturday evening (local time).

The powerful control committee published the legal texts, which are now to be voted on. Around 26 billion dollars (24 billion euros) are earmarked for Israel. This includes four billion dollars to increase the Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defense systems. If approved, it would be the Senate’s turn. It is likely that the Democratic-led chamber will support the plan.

Qatar wants to rethink its role as a mediator

Meanwhile, the Gulf emirate of Qatar wants to rethink its role as a mediator in the war between Israel and Hamas. Qatar’s role had to some extent been abused for political purposes, said Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in the capital Doha. He did not elaborate on who and what he meant specifically.

“This has caused Qatar to completely reassess its role and we are currently in this phase,” Al Thani said. Negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of further hostages who were kidnapped into the Gaza Strip during the attack by Islamist terrorists on Israel on October 7th last year have been underway for months with the mediation of Qatar, the USA and Egypt. However, a breakthrough in the negotiations is currently not foreseeable.

For the first time, relief supplies were handled through the port of Ashdod

Meanwhile, aid deliveries for the Gaza Strip were handled there for the first time since the opening of the port of Ashdod in southern Israel. Eight transporters with flour were checked and then brought to the coastal area, said the Israeli army and the Israeli Cogat authority, which is responsible for contacts with the Palestinians and humanitarian aid.

However, the World Food Program (WFP) trucks drove into the sealed-off coastal area via the Kerem Shalom border crossing in the south – not via Erez in the north of the Gaza Strip, which Israel also recently announced would be opened. There was no indication when that might happen. Kerem Shalom has long been used for aid deliveries. According to experts, there is a risk of famine in parts of the sealed-off Gaza Strip, especially in the north.