Israel vows Iran response, Hezbollah says repelled south Lebanon raid
- Hezbollah says it attacked and repulsed Israeli troops who infiltrated near the town of Odaisseh in southern Lebanon, and “inflicted losses and forced them to retreat”.
- Israeli media report a “serious security incident” with hospitals in the north preparing to receive casualties as military helicopters evacuate the wounded.
- Israeli officials vow to respond after Iran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at key military and security targets in Israel. Iran says the strikes were in response to attacks on Gaza and Lebanon.
‘The fact is wherever Israel goes, the US is likely to follow’
Obviously, the US knew this was coming because it telegraphed that an attack was imminent. It seems likely it came from intelligence from satellite imagery or drones.
It could have come from Israel because we understand Iran warned Arab neighbours that this attack was coming. Israel got wind of it and said to Iran it would respond no matter how big or small this action was. So it could be the Israelis told the Americans.
The big question now, though, is what happens next? We’ve heard Prime Minister Netanyahu say Iran’s going to pay for this. President Biden said he will “exact severe consequences”. Those words sound like fighting talk.
But remember, we’ve also been here before. Back in April – when Iran launched attacks against Israel – the US president said something similar. He later had to backtrack because the last thing Joe Biden wants is for this to escalate into a bigger conflict.
The fact is, wherever Israel goes, the US is likely to follow. It says Israel has its full support. Biden doesn’t want this to turn into an all-out war, but if Netanyahu is going that way, it seems likely the US may very well be drawn into it.
Prime Minister Netanyahu, left, meets President Biden at the White House in July [File: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters] - 36m ago(07:00 GMT)
‘Iran acts decisively on what it says’: Foreign Ministry
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said his country had “acted decisively and firmly” against Israel under the UN charter pertaining to a state’s “right to legitimate defence” and protection of security and sovereignty.
In a lengthy post on social media on Wednesday morning, Kanaani said the Iranian armed forces had acted bravely, referring to Tuesday evening’s launch of a barrage of missiles at Israel.
“The Zionist regime and its supporters should know that the Islamic Republic of Iran acts decisively on what it says,” Kanaani said.
“It was proved that Iran’s long hands can reach any point it wants,” he said.
The missile strike on Israel comes after Tehran had promised to retaliate, at a time of its choosing, to Israel’s recent assassination of the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as an IRGC commander in Lebanon.
“The future of the region and West Asia will be drawn by the owners of the region and its authentic and rooted nations, not the rootless and identity-less invaders and aggressors,” Kanaani added.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani speaks in Tehran, Iran [File: Iranian Foreign Ministry via AP]
No comments:
Post a Comment