Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks at a press conference in Tehran. (Iranian Presidential Website/Handout via Xinhua)
Iran has recently warned Israel several times of a military response to its large-scale attack…reports Asian Lite News
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has once again warned Israel against mounting a military counterattack following Iran’s recent air assault on Israel.
During a telephone call with Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Raisi warned that “the slightest action” by Israel against Iran’s national interests “will have extensive and painful consequences.” Details of the call were published on the web portal of Iran’s presidential office.
Iran has recently warned Israel several times of a military response to its large-scale attack, in which hundreds of drones and missiles were fired towards Israel on Saturday night.
The Iranian response to any further Israeli action would be “at least 10 times more drastic” than the first attack, the country’s Security Council said in a statement.
So far, Iran has chosen the least severe form of punishment for Israel, the Council said in its press statement. Israel’s military leadership has said that Israel does not intend to leave Saturday’s large-scale Iranian attack unanswered.
Israel Katzcalled for sanctions to be imposed on Iran’s missile programme and for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps…reports Asian Lite News
Israel’s foreign minister Israel Katz has launched what he called a “diplomatic offensive” against Iran following the major Iranian attack on Israel.
“This morning I sent letters to 32 countries and spoke with dozens of foreign ministers and leading figures around the world,” Katz wrote on Tuesday on the X platform.
He called for sanctions to be imposed on Iran’s missile programme and for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be declared a terrorist organization. Katz believes these measures would help slow down and weaken Tehran.
“Iran must be stopped now – before it is too late,” he wrote.
Katz wrote that Israel’s diplomatic campaign against Iran should be flanked by a military response to Tehran’s attack with more than 300 missiles, cruise missiles and drones. Israel and allied defences intercepted almost all of the incoming fire.
Israel’s military leadership has signalled that it does not intend to leave the major Iranian attack on Saturday night unanswered.
Iran said it was in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria that killed two Iranian generals and five officers.
The Iranian attack, which reportedly included 110 ballistic missiles, 36 cruise missiles and 185 drones, was much larger than the Iran foreign minister had assured him it would be, Cameron said…reports Asian Lite News
Foreign Secretary David Cameron urged Israel not to retaliate after Iran’s drone and missile attack, saying it should “think with head as well as heart” because Tehran’s strike had been a near total failure.
The strike by more than 300 missiles and drones from Iran caused only modest damage in Israel as most were shot down by its Iron Dome defence system and with help from the U.S., Britain, France and Jordan. It followed a suspected Israeli airstrike on Iran’s embassy compound in Syria on April 1.
“I think they’re perfectly justified to think they should respond because they have been attacked, but we are urging them as friends to think with head as well as heart, to be smart as well as tough,” Cameron told BBC TV.
He said he was urging Israel not to escalate the tensions in the Middle East.
“In many ways this has been a double defeat for Iran. The attack was an almost total failure, and they revealed to the world that they are the malign influence in the region prepared to do this. So our hope is that there won’t be a retaliatory response,” he told Sky News.
Cameron said Britain would also work with allies to look at imposing more sanctions on Iran, and it urged Israel to return its focus on agreeing a ceasefire with Iran-backed Hamas in the Gaza war.
Cameron said Israel should, as President Joe Biden had said to them, “take the win and then move on to focus on how to eradicate Hamas in Gaza and how to get those hostages free”.
He added: “Israeli people this morning are thinking ‘We’ve suffered this massive attack. Of course, we want our government to respond.’ And that’s why I think we have to be sensitive in the way we put this, but to say ‘Look, you have had a win because the Iran attack was such a failure and the smart thing to do as well as the tough thing to do now is actually not to escalate.’”
The Iranian attack, which reportedly included 110 ballistic missiles, 36 cruise missiles and 185 drones, was much larger than the Iran foreign minister had assured him it would be, Cameron said.
Calling for a pivot to Hamas and the hostage talks, he said: “Hamas have been offered a deal by Israel to release many, many prisoners inside Israeli prisons and to have a pause in the fighting in Gaza, and Hamas should take that deal. They are the only reason why there’s fighting continuing.”
Cameron predicted a significant change in the way Israel was handling the aid issue. “We have now seen Israel saying, ‘We’re going to allow more aid into Gaza, 500 trucks a day, opening the port of Ashdod, opening times lasting longer and proper deconfliction’.”
But he said: “It has been immensely frustrating. But we are now making progress. And I’m checking daily that whether the things Israel has said the a’re going to do they will actually do,” adding that he would continue to press Israel on the issue.
Cameron also defended UK arms sales to Israel, saying the attacks at the weekend had shown how important it was that Israel was able to defend itself. “What Saturday night in many ways proves is that Israel does need the right to defend itself, and indeed the means to do so. Had these weapons got through, we could have seen thousands of people killed, including citizens of Israel, and a very significant escalation in this conflict.”
The IDF Chief further said that the “Iron Shield” had successfully thwarted the Iranian attacks…reports Asian Lite News
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt Gen Herzi Halevi has said that Iran will face the consequences of its action.
Halevi in a video statement on Monday, after visiting Nevatim air base in southern Israel, said that the ballistic missile and drone attack on Israel during early Sunday morning hours will be “met with a response.” Nevatim air base was hit in an attack by Iran and suffered minor damages.
Stating that Israel is strong enough to defend itself. Halevi said: “Launching of so many missiles, UAVs into the territory of Israel will be met with a response.”
Iran had fired 350 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones and rockets into Israel on Sunday morning. The IDF has said that 99 per cent of these were intercepted and thwarted before they reached Israel territory.
The IDF Chief further said that the “Iron Shield” (The code name of Israel’s defense against Iranian attack) had successfully thwarted the Iranian attacks.
He added that IDF was joined in the defence by the United States Central Command, British Armed Forces, French Armed Forces and other forces operated together in the air, on the ground and at sea.
Halevi said that Israel is closey assessing the situation and that IDF is ready to counter any threats and would defend its territory.
Iran President’s visit to Pakistan comes after Tehran launched over 300 drones and missiles on Israel in what it calls a retaliation…reports Asian Lite News
Amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel after Tehran’s major and unprecedented missile and drone attack, bringing the region on the edge, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi is set to land in Pakistan on April 22.
Sources said that Islamabad and Tehran have agreed upon the matters pertaining to President Raisi’s visit who will be accompanied by a high-level delegation and would hold meeting with top officials in the Pakistan government including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the military leadership.
Iran President’s visit to Pakistan comes after Tehran launched over 300 drones and missiles on Israel in what it calls a retaliation to Israel’s airstrike in the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria claiming lives of senior commander of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Mohammad Reza Zahedi and senior commander Hadi Haj Rahimi.
The visit also holds great importance to Pakistan as it comes after Tehran carried out cross-border strikes inside Pakistani territory, claiming to have targeted anti-Iran insurgent groups.
Islamabad responded within 24 hours carrying out a tit-for-tat approach to Iran’s aggression and conducing cross-border airstrikes on the Iranian side killing members of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). Iran later announced that those killed in Pakistani airstrikes are non-Iranians.
It would be the first time that Iranian President would be landing in Islamabad post January airstrikes, which had put relationship between both countries in a fix temporarily. During the time, Pakistan even withdrew its ambassador from Iran and stated that it would not allow the Iranian envoy to return to Pakistan.
And even though both sides soon restored diplomatic ties allowing respective diplomats to return to their respective posts; relations remained under question.
Iranian President visit becomes even more crucial for Pakistan as the agenda of the visit is focused on the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline and the Free-Trade Agreement (FTA).
In a show of goodwill gesture, Iran’s President has also approved the release of Pakistanis stranded on a ship seized by the Iranian forces.
Official sources say the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline will remain as the top agenda of the delegation level meetings as both sides are actively looking to complete the important project.
It is also believed that Iran’s airstrikes on Israel would also come under discussion and Pakistan would put forward its call for restraint.
The US military intercepted a significant number of the Iranian drones and missiles launched at Israel before they could reach Israeli air space…reports Asian Lite News
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, spoke Sunday morning with the Commander of the US Military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael Erik Kurilla. The Chief of Staff expressed great appreciation for the joint defence effort to thwart and intercept the Iranian missile attack on Israel overnight.
The US military intercepted a significant number of the Iranian drones and missiles launched at Israel before they could reach Israeli air space.
“The IDF’s strategic partnership with the United States Army is significant for maintaining regional stability and security in the Middle East,” said Halevi.
The Chief of Staff added that the close cooperation between the armies throughout the war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza led to the creation of a “strong defence coalition that proved itself last night.” (ANI/TPS)
His last international journey was a two-day stay in Marseille, France in September. In November, he pulled out of a trip to the COP28 climate conference in Dubai because of a lung inflammation…reports Asian Lite News
Pope Francis on Sunday made a “pressing appeal” against a “spiral of violence” after Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone attack on Israel, warning of a potential regional conflagration.
“I make a pressing appeal for an end to any action which could fuel a spiral of violence that risks dragging the Middle East into an even greater conflict,” the Argentinian pontiff declared following his traditional Sunday prayer in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
“I am praying and following with concern, but also pain, the news that has come in recent hours about the worsening situation in Israel due to Iran’s intervention,” the pope told worshippers.
“No one should threaten the existence of others. All countries must, however, side with peace and help Israelis and Palestinians to live in two states, side by side and in security,” he said.
“That is their right,” Francis insisted as he once again repeated earlier calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and “negotiation.”
The pontiff futhermore demanded the world “help the population facing a humanitarian crisis” in Gaza and urged the “immediate release of the hostages kidnapped months ago” by Hamas, setting in train the latest chapter of violence in the region.
Pope to embark on Asia trip
Pope Francis will travel to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore from September 2-13, the Vatican said on Friday, announcing his first overseas trip of the year and the longest of his 11-year papacy.
The Asia trip has been on the papal agenda for some time, but there had been doubts on whether the 87-year-old pontiff would embark on it given his increasing frailty, with a record of skipping engagements due to health problems.
His last international journey was a two-day stay in Marseille, France in September. In November, he pulled out of a trip to the COP28 climate conference in Dubai because of a lung inflammation.
Francis is now scheduled to be in Jakarta between Sept 3-6, Port Moresby and Vanimo between Sept 6-9, Dili September. 9-11 and Singapore Sept 11-13, his spokesman said in a statement.
Vietnam, which had been suggested by the pope and Vatican officials as a possible further destination during the nearly two-week long Asia trip, was not mentioned.
In recent months, the pope has been suffering on and off from what have been described as a cold, bronchitis and influenza, and he needs a wheelchair or a cane to move around due to a knee ailment.
His agenda this year also foresees Italian day trips to Venice on April. 28, Verona on May 18 and Trieste on July 7, and a visit to Belgium whose dates have not been confirmed, but expected in the second half of September.
In the conversation between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Biden, the President suggested that further Israeli response was unnecessary…reports Asian Lite News
Amid rising tensions in West Asia, US President Joe Biden made it clear to his counterparts that America will not get drawn into any offensive action against Iran after it launched a barrage of missiles against Israel on Saturday.
In the conversation between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Biden following the successful interception of Iranian drones and missiles by Israel’s advanced air defence system, Biden suggested that further Israeli response was unnecessary.
Over a phone call with the Israeli PM, Biden said he should consider Saturday a ‘win’ because Iran’s attacks had been largely unsuccessful and demonstrated Israel’s superior military capability, a senior administration official said.
The US assessed that there was “no significant damage within Israel itself,” CNN reported, according to a senior US military official.
Earlier, Iran came out in defence of its retaliatory attack on Israel on Saturday in response to an attack on its consulate in Syria, saying that the “matter can be deemed concluded”.
In a stern warning for Israel’s closest ally, Iran asked US to stay away from the ongoing conflict with Israel, adding that its response will be more severe if Israel made ‘another mistake’.
“Conducted on the strength of Article 51 of the UN Charter pertaining to legitimate defense, Iran’s military action was in response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus. The matter can be deemed concluded,” Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York posted on X.”
However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe. It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the U.S. MUST STAY AWAY!,” it added.
Meanwhile, Israeli President, Isaac Herzog said his country was not seeking war with Iran after the latter’s attack, adding that “balance is needed in this situation.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is speaking with many world leaders and there is “intimate dialogue with allies” in response to Iran’s actions, he said.
“We’re considering it all. We’re acting cool-headedly and lucidly,” President Herzog said, adding, “I think we’re operating in a very focused way and very responsible way and I’m sure there will be a decision accordingly that will make sure that we protect and defend the people of Israel.”
Earlier, on Sunday, the national security spokesman at the White House, John Kirby, said the ability to prevent widespread damage was a demonstration of Israel’s ‘military superiority’ and proof that Iran was not the “military power that they claim to be.”
“This was an incredible success, really proving Israel’s military superiority and, just as critically, their diplomatic superiority, that they have friends in the region, that they have around the world that are willing to help them,” Kirby told CNN.
Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin asked his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, to notify the US ahead of any potential response to the Iranian attack, according to another US official.
“I spoke to Israeli Minister of Defence (Minister) Yoav Gallant today for a third time this weekend to review the successful combined operation by the United States, Israel, and their partners to defend Israel from unprecedented attacks launched from Iranian territory and by Iran’s proxies. While the United States does not seek escalation, we will continue to take all necessary action to defend Israel and U.S. personnel,” Austin posted from his official X handle.
Even as American officials stressed that the final decision on how to respond to Iran is up to Israel, Biden was seeking to prevent a wider escalation of the conflict.
On Sunday, Biden met with his fellow Group of Seven leaders to discuss a ‘united diplomatic response’ with an emphasis on non-military actions that would limit the prospects of a wider war.
In a joint statement released after the virtual meeting, the G7 members condemned “in the strongest terms” Iran’s “direct and unprecedented attack” against Israel and expressed their “full solidarity and support to Israel and its people and reaffirm our commitment towards its security”.
“With its actions, Iran has further stepped toward the destabilisation of the region and risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation. This must be avoided,” the G7 said in its statement.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant held a call with his American counterpart, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Sunday.
Minister Gallant’s office said he briefed the Secretary on the preliminary conclusions of the Israel Defense Forces’ defensive operations in cooperation with the United States and additional partners, in thwarting the missile attack conducted by Iran overnight. This included the launch of hundreds of types of munitions by Iran, including 100 ballistic missiles – each one carrying hundreds of kilograms of explosives.
Minister Gallant expressed his deep appreciation to the Secretary for his leadership, and the unparalleled cooperation and coordination demonstrated by the defense establishments and militaries of both countries, together with international partners.
Gallant highlighted the opportunity to establish an international coalition and strategic alliance to counter the threat posed by Iran – a state that threatens to place nuclear warheads on its missiles. (ANI)
Israeli officials have yet to release any comprehensive estimates of damage or casualties from the Iranian bombardment…reports Asian Lite News
After Iran conducted an unprecedented missile and drone attack against Israel in response to a deadly strike against its embassy complex in Syria, the Islamic Republic’s top diplomat in the United States issued a strongly worded letter outlining the legal basis behind the operation and a warning against further escalation.
The letter was written by Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saied Iravani and addressed to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and U.N. Security Council President Vanessa Frazier. It officially informed U.N. leadership that, “in the late hours of 13 April 2024, the Islamic Republic of Iran carried out a series of military strikes on Israeli military objectives.”
The document referenced earlier warnings of a “decisive response” to Israel’s killing of seven Iranian military personnel. including two senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders, at an Iranian consular building in Damascus 10 days ago, an act that Iravani argued constituted a violation of the U.N. Charter.
“This action was in the exercise of Iran’s inherent right to self-defense as outlined in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations,” the letter said, “and in response to the Israeli recurring military aggressions, particularly its armed attack on 1st April 2024 against Iranian diplomatic premises, in the defiance of Article 2 (4) of the Charter of the United Nations.”
Article 2 (4) of the U.N. Charter states that, “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.”
The historic Iranian attack comes, however, amid a long-running conflict between the arch-foes that has been significantly aggravated by the six-month war between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Palestinian Hamas movement. With tensions already soaring across the Middle East, Iravani lamented the U.N. Security Council’s failure to act and warned it was Israel that had escalated the situation to the point that it necessitated a direct attack.
“Regrettably, the United Nations Security Council has failed in its duty to maintain international peace and security, allowing the Israeli regime to transgress red lines and violate the fundamental principles of international law,” Iravani wrote. “Such violations have exacerbated tensions in the region and threatened regional and international peace and security.”
Iravani reiterated Iran’s commitment to the U.N. Charter and asserted that “it does not seek escalation or conflict in the region.” At the same time, he emphasized that the Islamic Republic was prepared to take further action should Israel choose to strike back.
“While warning about any further military provocations by the Israeli regime,” Iravani wrote, “the Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms its unwavering determination to defend its people, national security and interests, sovereignty, and territorial integrity against any threat or acts of aggression and to respond to any such threat or aggressions vigorously and in accordance with international law.”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to exercise its inherent right of self-defense when required,” he added. “Should the Israeli regime commit any military aggression again, Iran’s response will assuredly and decisively be stronger, and more resolute.”
Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan also reached out to the U.N. Security Council in the wake of the Iranian strike, which he referred to as a “clear violation of the UN Charter and international law” and a “severe and dangerous escalation” in his own letter.
He called on the U.N. Security Council to convene “immediately to unequivocally condemn Iran for these grave violations and immediately act to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization.”
Israeli officials have yet to release any comprehensive estimates of damage or casualties from the Iranian bombardment. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported Wednesday, in the aftermath of the attack, that Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi was conducting a “situational assessment” with senior military officials.
Earlier, IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that “the vast majority” of more than 200 Iranian cruise missiles and drones “were intercepted outside of the State of Israel’s borders by our Aerial Defense Array,” while he said at least one IDF base in southern Israel was hit and one child injured.
Meanwhile, Israel faced simultaneous attacks from other foes aligned with the broader Iran-backed “Axis of Resistance.”
From the northern border with Lebanon, the Hezbollah movement claimed at least two separate attacks “in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their brave and honorable resistance, and in response to the Israeli night raids that targeted a number of safe villages and towns.” The IDF said it conducted retaliatory strikes against southern Lebanon in response.
Attacks were also reported from Yemen, which hosts the Ansar Allah, or Houthi, movement and from Iraq, home to an array of Iran-aligned militias that have operated under the banner of the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” in that country and neighboring Syria.
In a statement issued late Wednesday, President Joe Biden stated that “Iran—and its proxies operating out of Yemen, Syria and Iraq—launched an unprecedented air attack against military facilities in Israel,” and issued his condemnation “in the strongest possible terms.”
Biden also credited U.S. military moves with helping Israel to defend against the Iranian attack.
“At my direction, to support the defense of Israel, the U.S. military moved aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region over the course of the past week,” Biden said. “Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles.”
Pentagon Press Secretary John F Kirby.(photo:John F Kirby Twitter)
Iran and allied armed groups launched coordinated drone and missile strikes on Israel late Saturday night…reports Asian Lite News
The US does not want to go to war with Iran, a White House national security spokesman has said.
Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union news program one day after Iran launched attacks against Israel, US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby on Sunday was asked by host Jake Tapper if the Biden administration supports an Israeli retaliatory operation directly aimed at targets inside Iran.
“As the President has said many times, we don’t seek a wider war in the region. We don’t seek a war with Iran. And I think I’ll leave it at that,” he said.
Kirby seemed to be showing more restraint in his remarks, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to US media reports citing White House officials, President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone on Saturday night that the US would neither participate in nor support any offensive operations by Israel against Iran.
Iran and allied armed groups launched coordinated drone and missile strikes on Israel late Saturday night in retaliation for a strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria two weeks ago.
