For the first time, Iran has directly attacked its declared enemy Israel. Now the Netanyahu government wants to react. The news ticker on the Middle East conflict.
Update from April 17, 7:05 a.m.:
Israel is determined to respond to the major Iranian attack. An Israeli source now told the
Times of Israel
newspaper that the current plan is to keep Iran in the dark about the nature and timing of a possible response. “Just let them be nervous,” the source stressed. Therefore, we are still waiting to react to the attack. At the same time, the source said that the response could come either directly on Iranian territory or outside Iran.
USA advises Israel against attacking Iran: Blinken unsure about renewed defense success
Update from April 17, 5:45 a.m.:
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told representatives of American Jewish society at a meeting that it was not in Israel's interest to respond to Iran's attack and launch a counterattack. This was reported by the news portal
Axios
. Accordingly, Blinken said he understood that Israel wanted to respond and also reiterated that the decision rested with Israel. “We only give our best advice,” he emphasized, according to participants.
But he is apparently concerned about whether a retaliation threatened by Iran against a possible Israeli counterattack can be repelled as successfully as the first wave of the Iranian attack. A U.S. official said the secretary of state believed it would be “very difficult” to repeat the success. “And the Israelis know this too,” the official said.
Possible Israeli counterattack: British Prime Minister calls on Israel to be calm
Update from April 16, 10:20 p.m.:
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak advised prudence after Iran's attacks on Israel in a telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. A significant escalation is in no one's interest, Sunak emphasized, according to a statement from the British government. During the conversation on Tuesday afternoon, Sunak reiterated Britain's support for Israel's security and stability in the region, it said. Iran had badly miscalculated and was increasingly isolated internationally while the G7 group of leading Western industrial nations was preparing a diplomatic response, the prime minister was quoted as saying.
So far, more than 10,000 women and around 19,000 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip
Update from April 16, 8:55 p.m.:
According to the United Nations, more than 10,000 women have been killed there since the war in the Gaza Strip began around six months ago. Around 6,000 of the women were mothers. The UN women's organization UN Women announced on Tuesday that around 19,000 children are now at least partially orphaned.
New
sanctions
planned
against
Iran
Update from April 16, 8:05 p.m.:
After the Iranian missile and drone attack against Israel, the EU is planning new sanctions against Iran. EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell announced on Tuesday evening after a video link between the foreign ministers of the member states that he would ask his team to prepare for further punitive measures.
After Iran attacks Israel: armed forces launch new attacks on Hezbollah
Update from April 16, 7:50 p.m.:
According to the Israeli Defense Forces, Israel has carried out further attacks on Hezbollah buildings in southern Lebanon, where militia supporters are said to have gathered. The attacks were said to have been carried out in the cities of Ain Baal, Aalma ash-Shab, Hanine and Yaroun. Following the commander's death, Hezbollah announced the deaths of two additional members.
After Iran attacks Israel: Erdogan attacks Netanyahu
Update from April 16, 6:55 p.m.:
After Iran's attack on Israel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel's President Benjamin Netanyahu of being the only person responsible for the tensions in the Middle East. “Israel is trying to provoke a conflict in the region and the attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus was the final straw,” Erdogan said at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting.
After Iran attack: Israel kills Hezbollah commander after airstrike
After Iran attack: Israel
kills
Hezbollah
commander
after airstrike
Update from April 16, 6:40 p.m.:
The death of the Hezbollah leader was confirmed by the pro-Iranian militia. However, the militia did not say when, where or how exactly he died. Lebanon's state news agency
NNA
reported that two more people were injured on Tuesday. Accordingly, the Israeli attack hit a car in the town of Ain Baal near the Israeli border.
Update from April 16, 5:32 p.m.:
The Israeli military (IDF) says it has killed a Hezbollah commander. One of Israel's planes "hit and knocked out" Ismail Yusaf Baz in the area of the village of Ain Ebel in Lebanon, it said. According to the IDF, the senior leader of the Hezbollah militia planned to fire rockets at Israel from the Lebanese coast.
Concern about
escalation
:
Putin
turns to Iran's president
Update from April 16, 4:45 p.m
.: Russian leader Vladimir Putin has called for restraint in the face of an impending escalation between Iran and Israel. This was reported by the
dpa
, citing the Kremlin press service. In a conversation with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Putin expressed the hope that there would not be another round of confrontation. However, the Russian ruler did not explicitly condemn Iran's attacks on Israel.
During the conversation, Raisi is said to have emphasized that Tehran itself was not interested in escalating the situation, according to the Kremlin. The attack on Israel was also a limited strike.
After Iran attack: Israel's counter-reaction expected - Iran issues warning
Update from April 16, 3:30 p.m.:
After the major Iranian attack on Israel, at least limited retaliation by the Israeli military against Iran is expected. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Baghiri Kaani now threatened Israel with another attack if Israel actually strikes. “If the Zionist regime makes a new mistake, they must take into account that we will respond harder and faster,” the diplomat said, according to the
Tasnim
agency , adding: “Our response will come neither in days nor in hours, but within strike in seconds.”
According to the diplomat, Israel's attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus was a "strategic mistake" that gave Iran "legitimation" to "test our capabilities." “If the regime has any decency left, then they shouldn’t make another mistake,” he threatened.
Update from April 16th, 2:39 p.m
.: Annalena Baerbock makes a surprise trip to Israel. As part of crisis diplomacy, the Foreign Minister will hold talks on site tomorrow with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Minister Benny Gantz, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said.
SPD leader Klingbeil on the war in the Middle East: “We have to prevent conflagration”
Update from April 16, 1:15 p.m
.: Lars Klingbeil emphasized that Germany is firmly on Israel's side. The federal government also has a “clear expectation” of the Israeli government that it will respond “appropriately” to Iran’s attack. The SPD leader warned in an interview with
IPPEN.MEDIA
:
“Now we have to prevent a wildfire from breaking out.”
Iran
warns of
“painful consequences”
Update from April 16, 12:22 p.m
.: Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has again warned Israel of a military counterattack. “The smallest action (Israel) against Iran’s national interests will have extensive and painful consequences,” Raisi said in a phone call with Qatar’s Emir Hamad Al Thani. This was announced by his presidential office.
Israel, for its part, does not want to leave the major Iranian attack unanswered. There are various scenarios in the room: Experts speculate about the Israeli counterattack against Iran.
War in the Middle East: Israel calls on 32 states to take tougher action against Iran
Update from April 16, 10:41 a.m
.: Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz says he has written to 32 countries and called on them to impose sanctions against the Iranian missile program. They should also declare the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organization. The move was intended to stop and weaken Iran, Katz wrote
in a social media post, according to
Reuters .
Israel plans response to attack: Iran speaks out
Update from April 16, 9:31 a.m
.: Iran has reiterated that it will respond to any action that goes against its interests. President Ebrahim Raisi said this
to Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, according to a report by the Iranian news agency
Isna .
News about the war in the Middle East: Iran is temporarily closing nuclear facilities
Update from April 16, 8:40 a.m
.: Iran has now temporarily closed its nuclear facilities for “security reasons”. The government in Tehran informed the IAEA inspectors that all nuclear facilities “that we inspect every day” would remain closed on Sunday (April 14), IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said yesterday on the sidelines of a meeting of the UN Security Council.
The facilities were supposed to reopen yesterday. However, Grossi decided not to send the inspectors back until today, when the situation is “completely calm” again. Israel had already carried out attacks on nuclear facilities in the region in the past. The Israeli government accuses Iran of working on building a nuclear bomb. Tehran rejects this.
Israel plans reaction: Netanyahu wants to make Iran “nervous”.
Update from April 16, 6:40 a.m
.: Israel's reaction to Iran must be “smart,” Netanyahu has now emphasized at a private meeting with his ministers, as the
Kan
radio station reports. Iran should have to wait “nervously” to see when the counter-reaction will occur, just as Israel did before the Iranian attack.
The broadcaster reported, citing a senior official, that Israel had promised to inform the United States before retaliating. This is intended to give US troops in the region time to prepare for Iranian retaliation.
Middle East conflict: IAEA concerns about possible attack on Iran's nuclear facilities
Update from April 16, 4:55 a.m.:
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has expressed concern that Israel could attack its nuclear facilities in a retaliatory strike against Iran. “We are always concerned about this possibility,” he said in response to a question from the press in New York. Grossi called for extreme restraint.
Update from April 15, 10:21 p.m.:
Israel's Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi said that Iran's attack had "created new opportunities for cooperation in the Middle East." Halevi may be alluding to Jordan, which is surprisingly supporting Israel in missile defense. As far as the announced counterattack is concerned, the Israeli army is keeping a low profile. According to
information from the
Bild
newspaper, military bases in Iran could be the target of an attack - but cyber attacks were also discussed. “We are assessing the situation and are prepared at the highest level,” said Halevi.
Channel 12
television
previously reported that Israel's goal was to harm Iran, but not to trigger an all-out war.
New details about missiles and drones used by Iran
Update from April 15, 9:34 p.m.:
After the major attack on Israel, Iran's state media published information about the rockets used. According to information from the state agency
Irna,
medium-range missiles of the “Emad” and “Cheibarschekan” types were used. The modern version of the latter has a range of a good 1,800 kilometers.
The “Emad” type rockets have a warhead weighing a good 750 kilograms and fly at least 1,700 kilometers. According to Irna, they are also launched from underground missile silos. The distance from western Iran to Israel is around 1000 kilometers. In addition to the Shahed drones, which Russia also uses in Ukraine, Iran's Revolutionary Guard also fired “Paweh” cruise missiles at Israel, according to the report. According to the state agency, they should be able to fly up to 900 kilometers per hour.
Retaliation for Iran strike: Israel apparently makes decision
Update from April 15, 8:15 p.m.:
Despite international calls for de-escalation, Israel has apparently decided to launch a retaliatory strike against Iran. “Israel is considering its next steps, and bringing so many missiles and drones into Israeli territory will be met with a retaliatory strike,” Gen. Herzi Halevi was quoted as saying by
Axios
and
Forbes
.
Russia calls on Israel to show restraint
Update from April 15, 6:58 p.m.:
Russia has urged Israel and Iran to show restraint in their conflict. The Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, in conversation with the head of the Israeli National Security Council, Zachi Ha-Negbi, emphasized “the need for restraint on all sides of the conflict in the Middle East in order to prevent its escalation,” like the Russian state ones Agencies reported. Patrushev emphasized that they were of the opinion that “differences of opinion should be resolved exclusively through political and diplomatic means.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had previously emphasized that Russia was “extremely concerned” about the situation in the Middle East. A further escalation was “in nobody’s interest,” he was quoted as saying by the state agency
Tass
.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has also called for people to keep a cool head. Sunak said he would speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly. He wanted to express his solidarity with Israel in the face of the attack and discuss how to avoid further escalation. “All sides must exercise restraint.”
“Iran has once again shown its true colors with this attack,” criticized Sunak. He accused Iran of wanting to further destabilize the region. “Our goal is to promote stability and security because it is the right thing for the region and – even though the Middle East is thousands of miles away – it has a direct impact on our security and prosperity at home. We are working quickly with our allies to de-escalate the situation and prevent further bloodshed.”
Israel's war cabinet deliberates after Iranian attacks
Update from April 15, 5:05 p.m.:
According to a media report, several scenarios of reactions to the major Iranian attack were discussed during the deliberations of the Israeli War Cabinet. Some of the options are minor in nature, while others are more intense, Israel's
Channel 12
reported on Monday afternoon. Israel's goal is therefore to harm Iran, but not to trigger a full-scale war.
At the almost three-hour meeting of the committee chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, various reactions of varying degrees were put on the table, the TV station reported. Some of the options can therefore be implemented immediately. During discussions about a response to Tehran's attack at the weekend, it was also discussed that Israel wanted to coordinate the measures with its most important ally, the USA.
Update from April 15, 4:11 p.m.:
Great Britain counters Iran's claims that it had informed in advance about its attack on Israel. “I reject this claim,” said a spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. “And in general, we strongly condemn their direct attack on Israel.” Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Sunday that his country had informed its neighbors and Israel's ally the United States of the attack 72 hours in advance.
Expert warns of Iranian nuclear bomb – and calls Jordan’s reaction “remarkable”
Update from April 15, 3:12 p.m.:
The fact that Iran has a nuclear program has worried the West for years. After the attack on Israel, the question arises more than ever as to whether Tehran could already be in possession of nuclear weapons. Although Iran has repeatedly asserted that it is not building a nuclear bomb, expert Ulrich Schlie does not believe these statements: “According to everything we know, Iran is on the verge of the bomb,” said the professor of security and strategy research at the Institute for Political Science and Sociology at the University of Bonn in conversation with
IPPEN.MEDIA
.
Schlie described Jordan's reaction to help the Jewish state of Israel with missile defense as “remarkable”. It shows “how much a wildfire is feared”. Schlie also referred to diplomatic games of interpretation: “If the airspace is now opened again, this should also be seen as a signal of relaxation.”
Discussion about Israel's reaction to the Iran attack
Update from April 15, 2:10 p.m.:
The Israeli war cabinet is apparently in difficult discussions about a response to Iran's attack. Citing two Israeli officials, US broadcaster
CNN
reported a "heated debate" over how and when to respond to the attack.
Benny Gantz, a key member of the cabinet and opposition politician, is demanding a quick answer. His fear: The more time you lose, the more difficult it will be to secure international support for a counterattack. Several countries, including the USA, are already calling for de-escalation. Some members of the right wing of the Israeli government, such as Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, are calling for a heavy military response on Iranian soil.
The Israeli officials told the US broadcaster
CNN
that one of the military options was an attack on an Iranian facility without human casualties. You obviously want to send a message, but at the same time you don't want to open a new path of escalation. According to Israeli media reports, diplomatic consequences are also being considered.
Federal government summons Iranian ambassador
Update from April 15, 1:20 p.m.:
The federal government has summoned the Iranian ambassador in Berlin because of the attacks on Israel. This was announced by a spokesman for the Foreign Office. The conversation takes place “at the hour”.
Meanwhile, it became known: The Bundeswehr has refueled three French fighter jets to defend against Iranian attacks on Israel. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense in Berlin confirmed corresponding information from
Spiegel
. The spokesman emphasizes that the refueling operations were carried out as part of the mandated “Inherent Resolve” operation and were in accordance with the mandate. The international operation “Inherent Resolve” serves the fight against the radical Islamic organization Islamic State, especially in Iraq. The Bundeswehr is involved in the operation.
Before attacking Israel: Did Iran notify the USA beforehand?
Update from April 15, 12:40 p.m.:
Did Iran notify the USA before the attack on Israel? This question continues to be a matter of debate. An Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran had informed Washington about when the attack would take place through diplomatic channels such as Turkey, Qatar and Switzerland. In response, a senior US official said this was not true. Iran neither announced when the attack would take place nor explained its targets. The US official's statement: Since the damage in Israel is very minimal, Iran now wants to backtrack and therefore claims to have communicated important information in advance anyway.
USA and Israel worked on defense with Arab countries
Update from April 15, 12:05 p.m.:
The Israeli army, together with allies such as the USA and Great Britain, shot down 99 percent of all drones and missiles fired from Iran. US officials now told
the US newspaper
Wall Street Journal
that this was also possible thanks to cooperation with Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Accordingly, the two countries got their hands on Iranian attack plans and sent them to the USA, opened their airspace to fighter jets, provided radar data and sometimes even helped out with their own soldiers. The U.S. has been trying for years to create a comprehensive air defense umbrella in the Middle East in cooperation with Arab allies, the officials said.
Russia speaks out after Iran attack on Israel: “Extremely concerned about the escalation”
Update from April 15, 11:40 a.m.:
After the Iranian attack on Israel, Russia called on all states in the region to show “restraint”. “We are extremely concerned about the escalation of tensions in the region and call on all countries in the region to exercise restraint. Further escalation is in no one’s interest,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.
Israel's war cabinet wants to discuss a response to Iran
Update from April 15, 11:25 a.m.:
According to government circles, the Israeli war cabinet will discuss further action after the Iranian attack in the afternoon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called another meeting for 1 p.m. (2 p.m. local time), a government official says.
The war cabinet, which includes Netanyahu, Defense Minister Joaw Gallant, former Defense Minister Benny Gantz and several advisors, had already discussed on Sunday evening. However, the meeting ended without a decision on how to respond to the Iranian attack. The US broadcaster CNN reported that the war cabinet was determined to counterattack. However, the time and scope still need to be determined. Accordingly, the Israeli military was tasked with putting all options for a response to the attack on the table.
Israel speaks out after Iran attacks: “Red line crossed”
First report from April 15th:
Tel Aviv - Iran has directly attacked its declared arch-enemy Israel for the first time in the history of the Islamic Republic. Now the Jewish state reserves the right to respond militarily. Iran has “crossed every red line,” said Israel’s representative to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan. His country now has the right to retaliate.
Great Britain calls on Israel not to retaliate
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has called on Israel to refrain from retaliation. The Tehran leadership's actions were an almost complete failure and the focus should continue to be on agreeing a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Attack on Israel: US military intercepts more than 80 drones in Iran attack
The US military said it intercepted and destroyed more than 80 drones and at least six ballistic missiles aimed at Israel on Saturday and Sunday with the support of destroyers from the US European Command. The US Central Command (Centcom) said on X that the missiles were fired from Iran and Yemen. “Centcom remains ready to support Israel’s defense against these dangerous actions by Iran.”
The attack, involving more than 300 drones and missiles fired mostly from Iran, caused little damage. Most of the projectiles were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome defense system and with the help of the USA, Great Britain, France and Jordan.
Ex-CIA director speculates on “covert” response from Israel
Former CIA director and ex-general David Petraeus shared his assessment of the escalation with
CNN
. “This is a very big deal,” he told the US broadcaster. He believed that Israel could now carry out “a whole range of actions, not all of which necessarily have to be done openly.” For example, the country could also take “covert” action against Iran in cyberspace.
Middle East War
: The situation at the
front
(Editorial with news agency material)