The worst possible scenario, an escalation to a regional war, was the maximum concern of the international community, which in recent days has intensified mediation to avoid it, but without success. The land invasion of Lebanon, against which the United States, the EU and Arab countries warned, has taken place and Iran’s response has been practically immediate. Despite calls to avoid escalation, the United States and Israel are already analyzing the possible response.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this Tuesday, after the attack, that the Islamic republic “made a big mistake tonight, and will pay for it.” Netanyahu’s message, at the beginning of a government meeting, is his first statements since Iran launched some 180 missiles against the country, forcing millions of people to seek refuge.
The White House National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, assured this Tuesday, after the Iranian attack against Israel ended, that Washington and Tel Aviv are still discussing what the response should be to the launch of nearly 200 projectiles by part of Iran, a country that has been warned of “serious consequences.” Biden and the vice president and Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, have monitored the attacks from the ‘situation room’ (crisis room) and the president has ordered the US military to support Israel and repel Iran’s attack by shooting down the missiles, as reported by the White House.
“For the moment, we are going to analyze what are the appropriate next steps to, first and foremost, secure American interests, and promote stability as we move forward,” Sullivan said at the daily White House press briefing.
Sullivan has assured that this afternoon’s attack is a “significant escalation by Iran”: “It is equally significant that we have been able to coordinate with Israel and create a situation in which no one has died during this attack in Israel.” Sullivan has assured that at the moment no Israeli casualties have been reported, although one Palestinian person has died in the West Bank.
“This was, first and foremost, the result of the professionalism of the IDF, but in large part, of the skillful work of the US military and the meticulous joint planning in anticipation of the attack,” said Sullivan, who has classified the Iranian operation as “ “infective”. Shortly before launching the missiles, Tehran had informed Washington through diplomatic channels, an Iranian official confirmed to Reuters. This preventive action was also followed during the drone and missile attack on Israel carried out by Iran last April.
“There will be security and economic consequences”
The Pentagon has also appeared after the attack to assess the situation and has expressed itself along the same lines as the White House, reaffirming its “strong support for Israel.” “We do not want to see greater regional conflict. “You have heard us say this many times and we will continue working toward this end, but we also understand that this was a significant attack by Iran,” said General and Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder, leaving the door open to an offensive response. “Broadly speaking, the United States has been clear that there will be security and economic consequences if Iran attacks,” Ryder specified.
Both the positioning of the Pentagon and the White House go one step beyond the initial reaction that Washington had after the attack last April. On that occasion, President Joe Biden already warned that he would not help Israel in a response against the ayatollah regime. “If Iran or its proxies use this situation to attack North American forces in the area, we will respond,” the spokesperson warned.
Ryder has assured that Iran intended to inflict damage on Israel with this Tuesday’s attack, since the number of ballistic missiles used to carry out the attack doubled those used during the month of April. Likewise, he has also denied that Tehran informed Washington before carrying out the attack. During the Iranian offensive, two US Navy destroyers have destroyed a dozen missiles, according to the Pentagon spokesman.
The United States is closing ranks with Israel while continuing to repeat, with increasingly smaller mouths and more nuances, that diplomatic means “are the only way to achieve stability and security on the border between Israel and Lebanon.” “We will continue working towards this end, but we also understand Israel’s need to defend itself,” Ryder clarified.
The UN: “This has to stop”
While Washington and Tel Aviv seek a response to the Iranian attack, the UN has once again called for a ceasefire. “I condemn the expansion of the conflict in the Middle East with one escalation after another. This has to stop,” said the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, after the launch of missiles on Israel.
He has been one of the first to react, once again demanding a ceasefire that all international leaders have reiterated in recent days, also coinciding with the UN general assembly in New York. But Benjamin Netanyahu, who was present, has ignored him. As are calls to stop the escalation.
An intervention “would dramatically aggravate the situation and must be avoided,” the EU warned just hours before the ground offensive in Lebanon took place. That statement was finally in the name of the high representative, Josep Borrell, given the Czech Republic’s refusal to sign it due to the allusion to Netanyahu’s military intervention.
The call for a ceasefire was reiterated after the exchange of attacks. “The dangerous cycle of attacks and reprisals risks getting out of control,” warned the head of European diplomacy, who showed the EU’s willingness to “contribute to avoiding a regional war.”
“The EU condemns in the strongest terms Iran’s ballistic missile attacks against Israel, which constitute a serious threat to regional security. The EU reiterates its commitment to Israel’s security and to the stability of the entire Middle East,” foreign spokesman Peter Stano said late on Tuesday: “The successive waves of attacks and reprisals have fueled a spiral of conflict. uncontrollable”. “The EU remains fully committed to contributing to reducing tensions and avoiding a dangerous regional war,” he adds.
Sánchez: “A ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon is essential”
Spain had requested Spain’s urgent convocation of the UN Security Council after the incursion of Israeli troops into Lebanon, where the blue helmets of the Finul are deployed in the area, as an interposition force, under a United Nations mandate. Among them there are 669 Spanish soldiers.
Following Iran’s response, Pedro Sánchez spoke with Guterres. “The Government of Spain condemns Iran’s attack against Israel and asks that this spiral of violence end now. To achieve peace, a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon is essential, and that international law and international humanitarian law are respected,” he expressed through the social network X (formerly Twitter).
In the case of France, Emmanuel Macron has assembled the Defense Council. French Prime Minister Michel Barnier has warned that “a direct conflict appears to be brewing between Iran and Israel.” “The situation is extremely serious,” he stated in the National Assembly shortly before participating in that meeting.
The United Kingdom has also called for a ceasefire and the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has asked the British inhabitants of Lebanon to leave the country immediately due to the seriousness of the situation and has made a plane available to them due to the “volatile” situation. .
Hamas celebrates Iran attack
Hamas, for its part, has celebrated Iran’s “heroic missile launches” against Israel. “We affirm that this honorable Iranian response is a powerful message to the Zionist enemy and its fascist government,” Hamas said in a statement.
Yemen’s Shiite Houthi rebels on Tuesday “blessed” Iran’s retaliatory attack against “military targets inside occupied Palestine” and celebrated the Islamic Republic for its support of the Palestinian people and for opposing “American hegemony in the region.” ”. This was indicated in a message on the social network Palestinian and Lebanese peoples and the region,” the EFE Agency reports.
Source: www.eldiario.es
