JERUSALEM: As the Gaza conflict continued with no sign of a ceasefire, Iran and Israel exchanged threats on Tuesday following Tehran’s first-ever direct attack on its longtime adversary.
Iran will not go “scot-free,” according to Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, following Iran’s weekend bombardment of Israel with more than 300 missiles, drones, and rockets.
“We cannot remain motionless in the face of such aggression,” Hagari declared, following Israel’s military chief’s pledge to launch “a response” in response to Iran’s coup.
Iran declared that it would consider the situation “concluded” unless Israel replied, citing its attack as an act of self-defense in response to a fatal Israeli airstrike on its consulate in Syria.
Joining the chorus of foreign leaders urging moderation are Putin and Erdogan; the US threatens more sanctions against Tehran
“The slightest action against Iran’s interests will definitely be met with a severe, extensive and painful response,” issued a warning by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
Israel considers alternatives
After the Iranian drone and missile assault, which did minimal damage because Israeli defenses intercepted the majority of the missiles with assistance from US, British, and French forces as well as regional allies, Israel was considering its options.
When and whether Israel will attack Iran directly, or its interests or supporters overseas, such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, remained a mystery.
On Monday, Israel released its initial formal statement regarding the April 1 strike that claimed the lives of seven Iranian Revolutionary Guardsmen, including two generals, and destroyed a five-story Iranian consulate building.
Hagari declared, “These were individuals who committed acts of terrorism against the State of Israel.”
demands moderation
World leaders have called for moderation and de-escalation in the interim.
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, urged both parties to “show reasonable restraint and prevent a new round of confrontation” during their phone conversation, according to a readout of the conversation released by the Kremlin.
He issued a warning that “catastrophic consequences” could result from further escalation in the Middle East.
The recent spike in tensions, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli leadership, is entirely their fault, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan declared on Tuesday.
Following a cabinet meeting, he said at a press conference in Ankara, “Israel is trying to provoke a regional conflict, and its attack on Iran’s embassy in Damascus was the last drop.”
He also urged everyone to behave sensibly, saying that as long as there was “cruelty and genocide” in Gaza, there could be more regional confrontations.
Portugal’s foreign ministry called for a de-escalation in the Middle East in a statement as well.
US President Joe Biden emphasized a day ago that his country is “committed to Israel’s security” and that he wants to stop the crisis from getting worse.
According to a senior US official, Washington, Israel’s main ally and weaponry supplier, has made it plain that it will not support Israel in any strike on their shared enemy, Iran.
Additional penalties
Israel Katz, the foreign minister of Israel, urged thirty-two nations to sanction Iran’s missile development and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Prior to her Tuesday trip to Israel, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock pushed the EU to put restrictions on Iranian drone technology.
She stated, “I advocated for the extension of this drone sanctions regime in late autumn alongside France and other partners within the European Union,” adding that she also wanted it to cover “other missile technologies in Iran’s arsenal.”
“Hopefully, we can finally take this step together at this point.”
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen issued a warning about additional sanctions against Iran on Tuesday as well, stating that she anticipates Washington would act further “in the coming days.”
As the World Bank and IMF’s spring meetings got underway in Washington this week, she declared, “I fully expect that we will take additional sanctions action against Iran in the coming days.”
According to Ms. Yellen, the Treasury will not think twice about cooperating with US allies to “continue disrupting the Iranian regime’s malign and destabilizing activity” by using its sanctions authority.
