The Israeli war cabinet has finally decided to retaliate against Iran. The time and place are still pending. The news ticker.
Update from April 17th, 9:03 p.m.:
Qatar's Prime Minister announced that Qatar's role as a central mediator in talks about a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages would be “reassessed”. Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said this at a press conference on Wednesday. The prime minister cited the reason that Qatar “suffered damage” in this role. He did not give any further details.
At the same press conference, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of exploiting regional tensions “to stay in power.”
After Iran attack on Israel: “Call the Revolutionary Guards by their name”
Update from April 17th, 8:20 p.m.:
During German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock's visit to Israel, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called on Europe to deal more strictly with Iran. “Call the Revolutionary Guards by their name – they are a terrorist organization. And decide on sanctions for the Iranian missile program,” Katz called on the European states.
Baerbock's trip originally aimed to find solutions to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. However, a dominant topic with Israeli government representatives was how to deal with Tehran as a result of the Iranian attack on Israel.
Update from April 17th, 8:02 p.m.:
For the first time since the port of Ashdod in southern Israel was opened for aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip, aid for the coastal area has arrived via the port. The Israeli army announced this on Wednesday evening. The Israeli war cabinet decided at the beginning of April to open the Erez border crossing and temporarily the port of Ashdod to aid deliveries after the USA called for the expansion of humanitarian aid in view of the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip.
Update from April 17th, 7:00 p.m.:
After Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is once again calling on Israel not to respond to the Iranian attacks with a massive counterattack. “It is important for us that this moment is used for further de-escalation in order to strengthen our own position,” said Scholz before the EU summit in Brussels.
The 27 EU heads of state and government want to discuss a possible tightening of Iran sanctions in the evening.
After Iran attack:
Netanyahu
gives
Baerbock
a clear answer – “Make the decision yourself”
Update from April 17th, 6:20 p.m.:
Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized Israel's independence after the meeting with the foreign ministers from Germany and Great Britain. “I thank our friends for their support in defending Israel, in words and in deeds,” he said after talks with Annalena Baerbock and James Cameron. The two had offered “all sorts of suggestions and advice,” but Netanyahu clarified: “I appreciate that, but I want to make it clear that we will make our own decisions.”
In response to the attacks from Iran, the country will do everything “to defend itself,” said Netanyahu. Israel had already announced military countermeasures to the attacks. Partner states, including Germany, had previously called for measured reactions.
Update from April 17th, 6:15 p.m.:
Lebanese media reports on an Israeli air strike in the northeastern Lebanese district of Baalbek. The area, which in the past was considered a Hezbollah stronghold, is around 100 kilometers from the Israeli border. The attack deep in Lebanon comes after a Hezbollah drone strike today that injured 14 soldiers and four civilians.
Update from April 17, 5:20 p.m.:
The UN Security Council will vote on the Palestinians' application for full membership in the United Nations on Thursday, as the AFP news agency announced. The project is considered unpromising. The US, Israel's closest ally, has spoken out against the initiative. Washington can veto such a recommendation. The Palestinians have had observer status at the United Nations since 2012 and have been calling for full membership for years.
Baerbock
in
Israel
: Call for
“restraint”
in the conflict with Iran
Update from April 17th, 5:05 p.m.:
In the midst of the conflict with Iran, Annalena Baerbock, the Federal Foreign Minister, encouraged Israel to act carefully and responsibly. “I'm not talking about giving in here. “I’m talking about clever restraint, which is nothing less than strength,” said Baerbock after her conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, at Tel Aviv airport.
The European Union has already imposed extensive sanctions against Iran. Baerbock emphasized that further reactions would follow the country's dangerous politics. In addition, the successful defense against the Iranian air attacks already shows “how much Tehran has miscalculated”. Iran is in complete isolation in the region.
Iranian activists call for escalation with Israel to be avoided
Update from April 17th, 3:55 p.m.:
The United Nations Emergency Relief Office (OCHA) has stated that money is urgently needed to supply the population in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. This year alone, the OCHA needs billions, as the
dpa
reported. In order to raise the missing funds, the United Nations is now turning to donor countries. They have now been asked to make 3.3 billion dollars (around 2.6 billion euros) available by the end of the year.
The majority of the money, $2.5 billion, will go to the people of the Gaza Strip. But actually a much larger amount of around four billion dollars is necessary to prevent the impending famine in parts of the war zone. However, according to experts, implementing all the necessary programs would not be possible due to the difficult conditions.
Iranian activists address the population with an explanation
Update from April 17, 2:35 p.m.:
Iranians living abroad, as well as some Iranian activists, expressed their concern about a possible war in a statement after Iran's attack on Israel. As
Iran International
reported, the signatories would call on civilians to express their opposition to Iran's involvement in such a war.
A far-reaching confrontation with Israel would only present Iran with further challenges, activists say. The country is already confronted with economic, social and political crises. “In an atmosphere where the Islamic Republic's repressive policies as well as its undemocratic and ineffective foreign policy are dragging the country into an all-out war, we call on everyone to distance themselves from warmongering and call for protests to put pressure on the government “ says the letter.
After Iran attack: Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warns of attacks on nuclear storage facilities in Iran
Update from April 17th, 1:55 p.m.:
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has warned of attacks on nuclear facilities in the wake of tensions between Israel and Iran. This would be a “terrible mistake.” He called on both sides to “exercise extreme restraint,” the dpa quoted the IAEA chief as saying.
Grossi is about to travel to the country to resume nuclear talks with the Iranian side. Mohammed Eslami, Iran's nuclear chief, described the cooperation with the IAEA as good. “The IAEA chief will also come to Tehran soon to continue the bilateral talks and virtually update them,” Eslami told the Iranian news agency
IRNA
.
Update from April 17, 1:20 p.m.:
The speaker of Iran's parliament's national security commission, Abolfazl Amoui, has indicated that the country is ready to use a weapon "that we have not used before,"
Iran International
reported . Amoui further said that Iran has a plan for “every scenario.” He was threatening Israel, which, according to media reports, was planning a military response to a massive Iranian attack.
Iran warns Israel to respond to drone and missile attack
Update from April 17, 12:30 p.m.:
Hamid Vahedi, brigade admiral of the Iranian Air Force, warned the “enemies of Iran” on the sidelines of the military parade for the “National Day of the Iranian Army” not to make mistakes. The air force could also hit 24 targets with the Russian Sukhoi fighter jet. In this regard, the army is ready for “the order of the commander-in-chief,” wrote the Iranian news agency
IRNA
.
Ministry of Health in Gaza announces death toll
Update from April 17, 12:00 p.m.:
According to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, 56 Palestinians have been killed in the past 24 hours.
The Times of Israel
reports on this, among others
. In total, at least 33,899 people are said to have been killed in Gaza since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th. The numbers cannot be independently verified.
Israel, meanwhile, says it has killed around 13,000 Hamas armed fighters in combat. Since the beginning of the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, 260 IDF soldiers have died.
Update from April 17th, 11:45 a.m.:
Several military parades took place in Iran on the occasion of the “National Day of the Iranian Army”. In this context, President Ebrahim Raisi said that the armed forces would stand with the people and defend the security and unity of the country, as well as the principles of the Islamic revolution. This was reported by the Iranian news site
Alalam
.
The Iranian army differs from other armies in its belief in God and trust in divine power. In addition, she is well trained technologically and militarily. The Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7th also highlighted the weaknesses of the Israeli army.
Countermeasure to rocket fire – Iran threatens “devastating” response
Update from April 17th, 11:16 a.m.:
After Iran's attack on Israel last weekend, there is growing worldwide concern about further escalation in the Middle East. Iran has now renewed its warning of a possible retaliation by Israel. President Ebrahim Raisi said: "The first attack was deliberately limited and intended as a punitive measure, otherwise nothing would have been left of the Zionist regime." If Israel were to carry out even the slightest "aggression" against Iran, the Iranian response would be "devastating." The Israelis would regret it bitterly, Raisi explained.
After Iran's attack on Israel: number of missiles and drones shot down significantly increased
Update from April 17, 11:05 a.m.:
After Iran's large-scale attack on Israel, the number of rockets fired was revised upwards. There was previously talk of around 300 missiles and drones being fired by the country. Now the Israeli defense minister has announced that Iran and its allies are said to have fired more than 500 projectiles. This was reported by the
dpa
. A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defense confirmed this number on Wednesday (April 17).
Iran-allied militias from Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq are also said to have been involved in the attack. According to Iran, the attack was a retaliatory strike. Israel is said to have attacked the Iranian embassy in Damascus with an airstrike and killed senior generals in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Israel has already announced that it will respond militarily to Iran's attack.
Decision made in the war cabinet: Israel strikes back after Iran attack
First report:
Tel Aviv - The Israeli war cabinet, which was proclaimed after the bloody Hamas attack on October 7th, met a total of five times after Iran's major attack on the country. It was about whether and how to respond. The decision was apparently made in the fifth meeting. The war cabinet has decided to strike back,
Kann News
reported.
Israel
decides to
retaliate against Iran
However, according to Israeli media reports, it is not yet clear when and where the retaliatory strike will take place. An Israeli official told the
Times of Israel
newspaper that retaliation could occur both inside and outside Iran's borders. At the moment they do not want to give any further information “in order to keep Iran in the dark” and make them “nervous”.
Discussions in the Israeli War Cabinet: Strike immediately or wait for international talks
In any case, the War Cabinet meetings were accompanied by heated discussions, as
Kann News
also confirmed. Accordingly, there were ministers who called for an immediate attack against Iran without wasting any more time. Recently, opposition leader Benny Gantz expressed the fear that the longer they waited, they would lose international support. On the other hand, there were also ministers at the Cabinet meetings who wanted to wait for the results of international discussions.
USA
wants to prevent
further
escalation in the Middle East
Most recently, the Israeli broadcaster
Reshet 13
reported that the US would offer Israel gifts to deter the country from retaliating against Iran and thus prevent further escalation in the Middle East. This includes more help with a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia and the further development of the regional alliance that repelled the Iranian attack. For Israel, these points may actually be worthwhile. This should make it easy to isolate Iran even more in the region.
Meanwhile, the USA apparently fears a new Iranian attack that could hit Israel if the country decides to retaliate. In recent days, Iran has threatened a stronger attack if Israel responds. 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.
Middle East War
: The situation at the
front
In addition to the USA, many other countries are now calling for prudence and demanding that Israel not fuel the spiral of violence. Israel, on the other hand, “does not want to let Iran go unpunished,” as army spokesman Daniel Hagari emphasized. “We cannot be quiet in the face of this aggression,” the spokesman continued. Later, Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi also confirmed that there would be a response to Iranian drones and missiles.
(bb)