Is it possible a middle east war could happen ????

[Malcolm]

osef Federman and Jon Gambrell

JERUSALEM -

 Booms and air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem early Sunday after Iran launched dozens of drones and ballistic missiles toward Israel in an unprecedented revenge mission that pushed the Middle East ever closer to a regionwide war.

The attack marked the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israel, despite decades of enmity dating back to the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Condemnation was swift, with France saying that "Iran has crossed a new threshold with regard to its destabilizing activities and is risking a potential military escalation." Britain called the attacks "reckless."

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There was no immediate word from authorities on whether any explosions were an incoming attack. Air raid sirens were reported in numerous places, including northern Israel, southern Israel, the northern West Bank and the Dead Sea near the Jordanian border. Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said it was treating a 10-year-old boy in critical condition in the Bedouin area in the Arad region but provided no details.

U.S. forces downed some of the Iran-launched drones flying toward Israel, according to a U.S. defence official and two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. The defence official said the effort to intercept the attack was ongoing.

Israel's military said over 100 drones had been fired. It didn't mention ballistic missiles, which are less easily shot down, but Iran said they were part of the attack.

"We are monitoring the threat," the Israeli military's spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, announced in a nationwide television address.

Air raid sirens have sounded in Jerusalem as a series of explosions were heard in the skies. (Screen grab via CNN)

Iran had vowed revenge since an April 1 airstrike in Syria killed two Iranian generals inside an Iranian consular building. Iran accused Israel of being behind the attack. Israel hasn't commented on it.

Israel and Iran have been on a collision course throughout Israel's six-month war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. The war erupted after Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a devastating cross-border attack on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others. An Israeli offensive in Gaza has caused widespread devastation and killed over 33,000 people, according to local health officials.

Almost immediately after the war erupted, Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militant group in Lebanon, began attacking Israel's northern border. The two sides have been involved in daily exchanges of fire, while Iranian-backed groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen have launched rockets and missiles toward Israel.

In a statement carried late Saturday by Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard acknowledged launching "dozens of drones and missiles towards the occupied territories and positions of the Zionist regime."

In a later statement, the Revolutionary Guard issued a direct warning to the U.S.: "The terrorist U.S. government is warned any support or participation in harming Iran's interests will be followed by decisive and regretting response by Iran's armed forces."

IRNA also quoted an anonymous official saying ballistic missiles were part of the attack. A ballistic missile moves on an arch trajectory, heading up into space before gravity brings the weapon down at a speed several times faster than the speed of sound.

Israel has missile defence systems capable of targeting ballistic missiles. However, in a massive attack involving multiple drones and missiles, the likelihood of a strike making it through is higher.

Iran has a vast arsenal of drones and missiles. Online videos shared by Iranian state television purported to show delta-wing-style drones resembling the Iranian Shahed-136s long used by Russia in its war on Ukraine. The slow-flying drones carry bombs. Ukraine has successfully used both surface-to-air missiles and ground fire to target them.

Israel has a multilayered air-defence network that includes systems capable of intercepting a variety of threats including long-range missiles, cruise missiles, drones and short-range rockets.

Hagari, the army spokesman, said Israel was "prepared and ready." But he cautioned that the air defences are not 100 per cent effective and urged the public to heed safety instructions.

The army ordered residents in the Golan Heights -- near the Syrian and Lebanese borders -- as well as the southern towns of Nevatim and Dimona and the Red Sea resort of Eilat "to stay near protective spaces until further notice." Dimona is home to Israel's main nuclear facility, and Nevatim has a major air base.

The army's Home Front Command cancelled school on Sunday and limited public gatherings to no more than 1,000 people. Israel closed its airspace and cancelled all flights.

Earlier Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu(opens in a new tab) warned: "Whoever harms us, we will harm them."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu provides a statement in response to a drone attack launched by Iran, April 13, 2024. (X / Prime Minister of Israel)

In Washington, President Joe Biden cut short a weekend trip to his beach house in Delaware to return to the White House. He was set to convene a principals meeting of the National Security Council on Saturday to discuss the unfolding attack, the White House said.

"The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defence against these threats from Iran," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

Gen. Erik Kurilla, the head of the U.S. military's Central Command, was in Israel over the weekend consulting with Israeli defence officials about the Iranian threat. The Central Command oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East.

Iran's mission to the United Nations issued a warning to both Israel and the U.S. "Should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran's response will be considerably more severe," it wrote online. "It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the U.S. MUST STAY AWAY!"

For days, Iranian officials including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had threatened to "slap" Israel for its Syria strike.

In Iran's capital, Tehran, witnesses saw long lines at gas stations early Sunday as people appeared worried about what may come next. Dozens of hardliners demonstrated in support of the attack at Palestine Square.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported heavy Israeli airstrikes and shelling on multiple locations in south Lebanon following Iran's launch of drones. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it launched "dozens" of Katyusha rockets at an Israeli military site in the Golan Heights early Sunday. It was not immediately clear if there was any damage.

Countries in the region began to close their airspace.

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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. AP correspondents Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, Michael Balsamo in New York, Krutika Pathi in New Delhi, Stephen Graham in Berlin, Thomas Adamson in Paris, and Zeke Miller and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.

[Jaydee]

 

 

Israel’s military has told residents they no longer need to remain near safe places, a sign that the acute danger from Iran’s unprecedented Saturday night direct attack appears to have passed.

Israel Defense Forces said it had identified “a small number of hits,” including at a military base in the south of the country, which caused minor infrastructure damage. Israeli emergency services reported that a 10-year-old girl was seriously injured in a Bedouin community in the country’s south.

Sirens also sounded three times on Israel’s northern border, the latest just before 5:30 a.m., as Israel’s military warned about dozens of projectiles launched from Lebanon.

U.S. President Joe Biden has promised a “united diplomatic response” to Iran’s attack on Israel, an indication that the White House is seeking to prevent military escalation.

“Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks – sending a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel,” Mr. Biden’s office said in a statement, after the president spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The statement noted that the Iran attack was aimed at Israeli military targets.

Mr. Biden, in an earlier statement, said the U.S. “commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad.”

Israel has vowed to defend itself, and Iran has also warned of escalation.

“Should the Israeli regime commit any military aggression again, Iran’s response will assuredly and decisively be stronger, and more resolute,” the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations wrote in a Saturday evening letter for circulation to the UN Security Council.

The United Nations Security Council has also scheduled a meeting on Sunday.

For Israel – and a world that fears a major new conflict -- the single most important question now is what kind of military response Israel will make.

“We are prepared for any further threats, and are determined to defend our citizens,” Israel defence minister Yoav Gallant wrote on social media Sunday morning, following a call with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Iran dispatched waves of drones and missiles for Israel late Saturday night, nearly two weeks after an Iranian diplomatic building in Syria was hit by an air strike, killing seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – two of them generals.

The attack saw more than 300 drones and missiles fired upon Israel. Shortly after midnight, GPS jamming began to take effect across Israel, with phones in Tel Aviv reporting their location as the airport in Beirut.

“The defence and offence systems of the Israeli Air Force are on alert, and dozens of planes are in the skies – prepared and ready,” Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israeli’s military, said in a statement.

As the attack began, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon closed their airspace. Israeli soon followed, with carrier El Al ordering jets already bound for Ben Gurion Airport to turn back.

U.S. President Joe Biden cut short a weekend trip to meet with national security officials as the Pentagon, in a statement, pledged “full U.S. support to defend Israel against any attacks by Iran and its regional proxies.”

“President Biden has been clear: our support for Israel’s security is ironclad. The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defence against these threats from Iran,” the White House said in a statement.

Additional attacks were launched from Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, while rocket sirens also sounded in northern Israel, near the regions of south Lebanon where Hezbollah, another Iranian proxy, maintains a potent arsenal.

Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu, in a video statement released Saturday night, warned that “whoever hurts us, we will hurt them. We will defend ourselves from any threat and we will do so calmly and with determination.”

“Together we stand, and with God’s help, together we will overcome all of our enemies,” he added.

Israel cancelled schools on Sunday, while universities in the country said they would postpone exams.

Earlier Saturday, Iranian commandos seized a container ship near the Strait of Hormuz. The Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries operated by a company linked with Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned the Iranian attack as “reckless,” saying the air strikes “risk inflaming tensions and destabilizing the region. Iran has once again demonstrated that it is intent on sowing chaos in its own backyard.”

The Iranian attack came in the midst of a lengthening period of calm for Israel, in its six-month war in Gaza. That war has become a more distant reality in Israeli cities, which had largely returned to the mundanities of life, with enforcement officers issuing parking tickets and popular restaurants demanding reservations.

The spectre of war with Iran, however, had created a mounting anxiety. Iran had vowed revenge on Israel for April 1 attack in Syria, although Israel never claimed responsibility.

“The whole nation is waiting to see when and where the Iranian missiles will hit,” Ben Caspit, an author and writer for Al-Monitor, said Friday. “It’s terrible and funny at the same time.”

On Saturday night, news of Iran launching its attack reached Israelis many hours before the drones could reach their targets – offering time for both preparation and black humour.

Orders for emergency supplies began to pour in to supermarkets across the country moments after news of the attack began to circulate.

At one in Jerusalem, workers lined an aisle with toilet paper and bottles of water.

“It’s crazy,” said an employee, as delivery drivers in motorcycle helmets sought to locate their orders.

 

Edited April 14 by Jaydee

[Jaydee]

[Malcolm]

Biden blasts 'brazen attack' and backs Israel's security

Biden blasts 'brazen attack' and backs Israel's security (bbc.com)

[Malcolm]

U.S. will not help Israel with counter-offensive against Iran, Biden says

By Staff  Reuters

Posted April 14, 2024 2:06 pm

 Sunday, Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, said, "We announced to the White House in a message this morning that our operations will be limited and minimal, with the aim of legitimate defence and punishment of the Israeli regime."

 

President Joe Biden warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the U.S. will not take part in a counter-offensive against Iran, an option that Netanyahu’s war cabinet favors after a mass drone and missile attack on Israeli territory, according to officials.

The threat of open warfare erupting between the arch Middle East foes and dragging in the United States has put the region on edge, triggering calls for restraint from global powers and Arab nations to avoid further escalation.

The U.S. will continue to help Israel defend itself but does not want war, John Kirby, the White House’s top national security spokesperson, told ABC’s “This Week” program on Sunday.

Jordan’s King Abdullah told Biden in a phone call on Sunday that any further escalation from Israel would widen the conflict in the region, Jordanian state media reported.

Israeli officials said Netanyahu’s five-member war cabinet favored retaliation in a meeting on Sunday, though the panel is divided over the timing and scale of any such response.

Iran launched the attack over a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria on April 1 that killed top Revolutionary Guards commanders and followed months of clashes between Israel and Iran’s regional allies, triggered by the war in Gaza.

However, the attack by more than 300 missiles and drones, mostly launched from inside Iran, caused only modest damage in Israel as most were shot down by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system and with help from the U.S., Britain, France and Jordan.

An Air Force base in southern Israel was hit but continued to operate as normal and a 7-year-old child was seriously hurt by shrapnel. There were no other reports of serious damage. clearly Israel will retaliate’

Two senior Israeli ministers signaled on Sunday that retaliation by Israel was not imminent and that it would not act alone.

“We will build a regional coalition and exact the price from Iran in the fashion and timing that is right for us,” centrist minister Benny Gantz said ahead of a war cabinet meeting.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also said Israel had an opportunity to form a strategic alliance “against this grave threat by Iran which is threatening to mount nuclear explosives on these missiles, which could be an extremely grave threat,” he said. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.

Gantz and Gallant are Israeli war cabinet members with decision-making powers.

In the meantime, Israel remained on high alert with emergency measures expected to remain in place until late on Monday, including a ban on school activities and caps on large gatherings.

“Over the last few hours, we approved operational plans for both offensive and defensive action,” Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement.

Drone and missile interceptions cost around 4.5 billion shekels ($1.2 billion), according to Israel’s Channel 13 News, which said some of the cost was funded by the U.S.

Iranian army chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri said on television, “Our response will be much larger than tonight’s military action if Israel retaliates against Iran,” and told Washington that its bases could also be attacked if it helped Israel retaliate.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said Tehran had informed the United States its attack on Israel would be limited and for self-defense and that regional neighbors had been informed of its planned strikes 72 hours in advance.

A Turkish diplomatic source said Iran had informed Turkey in advance.

Iran said the attack was aimed at punishing “Israeli crimes,” but it now “deemed the matter concluded.”

Russia, China, France, Germany and Turkey, as well as Arab states Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, urged restraint, and the U.N. Security Council was set to meet at 4 p.m. ET (2000 GMT) on Sunday.

The leaders of the Group of 7 nations condemned Iran’s attack and said they would work to stabilize the situation, warning in a statement that Tehran risked “an uncontrollable regional escalation.”

[Malcolm]

Iran threatens to use 'weapons it has never used' if Israel retaliate©AP

Iran has threatened to use 'weapons it has never used' in a 'painful and severe' response if Israel launches airstrikes in retaliation to Tehran's weekend salvo. Israel earlier vowed that it will respond to Iran's unprecedented drone and missile attack, amid fears that the Middle East is teetering on the edge of an all-our war.