As Israel prepares its ground offensive on Rafah, the conflict with Iran is heating up. Both countries are threatening direct attack – and are weighing up scenarios.
Jerusalem – Israel and Iran continue to make threats towards escalation. Foreign Minister Israel Katz threatened on Wednesday (April 10) that Israel would retaliate against Iran if Iran launches attacks from its own soil. Iran has been threatening to destroy the country since the war in Israel and is considered an important supporter of anti-Israel terrorist groups in the region. There has been no direct confrontation so far.
After Israel attacked an Iranian consulate building in Damascus, Syria, killing high-ranking Iranian officer Mohammad Reza Zahedi, among others, the situation is now coming to a head. The Israeli attack on Iranian consulate grounds was like an attack on Iran's territory, said religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to
the Times of Israel
- Israel "should and will be punished."
Israel's Foreign Minister Katz threatens Iran's religious leader Khamenei on X-Post
The Israel Defense Forces spokesman told
CNN
that the consulate was not the target of the attack, but rather an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facility. Regardless of the target of the Israeli attack, the death of Officer Zahedi further exacerbated the already inflamed conflict. “If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will respond and attack inside Iran,” Israel’s Foreign Minister Katz responded to Khameni’s threat in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
He published the post in Hebrew and Arabic and linked directly to the Iranian religious leader. According to
Tass
, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also
previously said that the ministry had completed preparations to respond to any possible scenario regarding Iran. According to
Elaph News
and anonymous information from a Western security expert, Israel is even testing an attack on a nuclear facility on Iranian territory in response. However, military experts consider it unlikely that Iran will attack Israel directly.
War in Israel: Fear of an attack on Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip
While Israel is confronted with direct conflict on its northern border with the pro-Iranian terrorist militia Hezbollah, Benjamin Netanyahu's government is planning the ground offensive on Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip. From Israel's perspective, according to
dpa
, a victory over the Islamist Hamas is not possible without an operation in the city on the border with Egypt - the international community is warning Israel of the civilian damage such a ground offensive could cause. US President Joe Biden spoke of a “red line”.
According to UN estimates, around a million refugees from other parts of the Gaza Strip are currently living in Rafah, seeking protection from Israeli attacks. The Israeli army had announced that it would create “humanitarian islands” for the people of Rafah further north. According to media reports, Israel is also said to have purchased around 40,000 tents for the evacuation of civilians. There was no official report about this. According to
dpa
, an Israeli representative
only confirmed the preparation of thousands of “accommodations”.
(lm/dpa)