Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will conduct a "security assessment" this afternoon amid preparations for an Iranian attack. According to the media, both War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were invited to the meeting. Army spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed that the IDF "is on high alert".
Israel is preparing for a direct attack from Iran in the next 24-48 hours. The Wall Street Journal reports this, citing some sources, according to which the attack will hit Israeli territory. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin had a telephone conversation with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, to whom he assured that Israel can count on full American support in defending Israel against Iranian attacks.
"A direct attack by Iran will result in an appropriate response from Israel," Gallant said, in the telephone conversation - his second in a few days - with his counterpart. The two - according to an official note - discussed "preparation for an Iranian attack against the State of Israel, which could lead to an escalation in the region".
"A legitimate defense, with the aim of punishing the aggressor", after the attack against the consular building of the Tehran embassy in Damascus, attributed by Iran to Israel, "is a necessity", stated the Minister of Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, during a phone call with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock.
"When the Israeli regime completely violates the immunity of individuals and diplomatic offices by going against international law and the Vienna Convention, self-defense is a necessity," Amirabdollahian said, as reported by Mehr, speaking of the raid on the Syrian capital where seven prominent members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards died. "If a similar missile attack had happened in a diplomatic mission in the Ukrainian war zone, would the reaction of the United States and Europe have been the same?" Amirabdollahian controversially asked the German minister during the meeting, stating that the 'Iran expects Germany to condemn the attack and that "the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is always based on avoiding tensions."
Furthermore, Amirabdollahian said that "the reason why Germany's efforts to establish a ceasefire in Gaza have been ineffective should be sought in Germany's lack of neutrality in this genocide." "Israel is an occupying regime and Palestine has a legitimate right to defense. Compared to this, the only way to resolve the current problems is to put an end to the genocide and war crimes in Gaza", added the head of Iranian diplomacy .
“We expect Germany not to repeat its baseless accusations against Iran,” the Islamic Republic official said in reference to Berlin's criticism of human rights abuses in Iran during the crackdown on anti-government protests in 2022 , calling on Baerbock and the German government to "defend the rights of the thousands of women and children in Gaza and other parts of the world where women's rights are constantly violated."
Paris and Berlin advise against travel to the Middle East
The French "refrain" from traveling to Iran, Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories: this is what the French Foreign Ministry says quoted today by the France Presse agency. And the German Foreign Ministry has also asked citizens to avoid travel in Iran, Israel, Lebanon and Palestine. This was stated by a spokesperson for the ministry at a press conference in Berlin. The ministry's website also reads the request to German citizens who are in Iran to leave the country.
"The situation in Iran is very tense and we are observing what is happening with apprehension and working towards a de-escalation." A spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry said this at a press conference in Berlin, recalling yesterday's conversation between Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her Iranian counterpart.
“I don't comment on individual statements,” he responded to a question about statements by Israel, which has announced that it will respond to any attacks. “It is clear that we want to avoid a scenario in which Iran attacks Israeli military interests and there is retaliation,” she added.
Meanwhile, many parents in Israel have canceled their children's registration for youth organization trips during the upcoming Passover holidays. The Ynet website reported this, linking the decision to fears of an Iranian reaction to the killing of
a Pasdaran general in a raid in Damascus, attributed to Israel.