France
withdraws diplomats and family members from Iran
. It asks its French citizens to “refrain” from traveling to Iran, Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, this Friday, after a “crisis meeting.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked French citizens this Friday
not to travel "in the coming days" to the region
, which is experiencing strong tensions linked to the war between Israel and Hamas.
As the likelihood of an expanded war continues to rise in the Middle East after months of conflict between the Jewish state and Hamas, the French are being asked to avoid any travel there.
Do not travel to Israel, Palestine or Iran
The Quai d'Orsay "recommends that the French absolutely refrain from visiting in the coming days," it said in a brief press release, after a "crisis meeting."
The head of French diplomacy, Stéphane Séjourné, also decided to prohibit “missions by French officials in the same countries.” He calls for the “return of the families of Tehran's diplomatic agents,” given “the risks of a military escalation in the Middle East.”
It recommends against traveling to Israel, but also strongly asks French citizens not to travel to several neighboring countries.
US restricts diplomatic movements in Israel
Paris is not the only one raising its alert level: the United States announced on Thursday that it is restricting the movements of its diplomatic personnel in Israel “for security reasons,” in a context of fear of Iranian retaliation.
"The security environment remains complex and can evolve rapidly, depending on the political situation and recent developments," said the US Embassy in Jerusalem.
The United States would participate alongside Israel in a counterattack, if Iran decides to directly attack the Jewish state.
Russia asked its citizens not to travel to the Middle East. Britain decided to speak directly to Iran and urge caution. Foreign Minister David Cameron spoke last night with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian
Iran sends messages to the US
“A probable retaliatory attack against Israel will be calculated with the aim of avoiding escalation
important,” Iranian sources told the Reuters news agency.
They say this was communicated to the United States and that Iran will not act hastily.
Iran has been threatening a response over the alleged Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, in which a senior Iranian commander was killed.
Iran's message to Washington was conveyed by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian during a visit on Sunday to the Gulf Arab state of Oman, which has often acted as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington, the sources said.
The White House declined to comment on any messages from Iran. Although they said that the United States told Iran that it was not involved in the attack on the consulate.
A source familiar with US intelligence was not aware of the message transmitted through Oman. But he said Iran has "been very clear" that its response to the attack in Damascus would be "controlled" and "non-escalation."
They added that Iran planned to "use regional proxies to launch a series of attacks against Israel."
Iran has been considering its response for almost two weeks, as it appears it does not want a broader war in the Middle East.
What would Iranian retaliation be like?
The Iranian “retaliation” will occur as a result of the Israeli missile attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, where 2 Quds commanders, the elite Iranian guards, and 15 other people died. One of the commanders was on the board of Hezbollah, a Lebanese “proxy” for Iran, and could participate in the retaliation attack, announced by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Until now the discussion is whether the retaliation will be carried out directly by Iran or Hezbollah. This would imply transferring the war to Lebanon, which already suffered it in 2006. The Lebanese do not accept a new war and that is the risk for Hezbollah, which is a political party and a militia in Lebanon.
The conflict has continued for more than six months in the Gaza Strip, where the humanitarian situation is worrying. The UN again called on Israel on Thursday to do more to "provide the necessary humanitarian aid given the magnitude of the needs in Gaza." . A truce plan continues to fail, as mediating countries await responses from Tel Aviv and Hamas to their latest proposed deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also maintains his plan for a ground offensive on the
The town of Rafah, south of the enclave, is considered the last major bastion of Hamas. The United States opposes this offensive due to the probability of many civilian deaths.
Supreme Ayatollah's warning
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose enemy Tel Aviv supports Hamas, said Wednesday that Israel will be "punished" after a deadly attack attributed to it on April 1 in Syria.
“If Iran carries out an attack from its territory, Israel will respond and attack Iran,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz responded, as calls for restraint grew.
“A pre-war situation” exists between the two countries. Missiles, drones, the threat of an attack by Iran against Israel is increasingly clear.
Bibi and Biden
The Jewish state has recently intensified its attacks in Syria, where it has especially targeted pro-Iran groups, such as the Lebanese Hezbollah, and Iranian military targets. These pro-Iran groups from Lebanon, but also from Iraq or Yemen, carry out attacks against Israeli and American targets to support Hamas.
The extension of the war to Lebanon is an ambition of Prime Minister “Bibi” Netanyahu to avoid having to
abandon power, as requested by the families of the hostages and the call for immediate elections.
The scenario of a war with Iran is a serious problem for President Joe Biden, who is in the midst of an election campaign. 60 percent of Israeli military aid depends on the United States and the relationship between him and the Israeli prime minister is disastrous.