Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah have vowed revenge for the killing of Hamas chief.
Washington:
The United States and European allies on Monday called on Iran to “stand down” as fears mounted over an impending attack on Israel that could unleash all-out war in the Middle East.
Tensions are running high in the region, with the United States launching a missile submarine and aircraft carrier group in a show of support for its key ally.
Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah have vowed revenge for the killing of the political leader of the Palestinian group Hamas in Tehran and a Hezbollah commander in Beirut.
International efforts to avert an Iranian attack intensified, with US President Joe Biden and the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Britain warning Tehran in a joint statement on Monday.
“We called on Iran to drop its continued threats of a military attack on Israel and discussed the serious consequences for regional security if such an attack were to occur,” they said after their speech on Monday.
The White House warned this week that a “significant series of attacks” by Iran and its allies was possible, and said Israel shared the same assessment.
As the frenetic diplomacy continued, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer both called on Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to push for de-escalation.
But Pezeshkian said Monday that his country “has the right to respond to aggressors.”
Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh was in Tehran last month for the inauguration of Iran’s new president when Haniyeh was killed in an attack that Iran has blamed on Israel.
Israel assassinated Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut a day earlier, putting the region on edge.
– ‘No more time to lose’ –
Israeli military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said his country was “ready to foil any threat in real time” but added that he was “not aware” of reports that Iran was expected to launch an attack within the next 24 hours.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the country has strengthened defenses and organized “offensive options” as “threats from Tehran and Beirut may materialize.”
Washington and the four European countries have meanwhile stepped up their calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, seeing the conflict sparked by Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel as the root cause of tensions in the Middle East .
They backed a call from Biden and the leaders of Egypt and Qatar for renewed talks between Israel and Hamas next Thursday, “emphasizing that there is no more time to lose.”
They also called for “unlimited” aid to devastated Gaza.
The push to end fighting in the Gaza Strip and force Hamas to release its hostages came as the militant group’s armed wing said it had killed one Israeli prisoner and wounded another two in ‘incidents’.
The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement that two of its fighters “assigned to guard the hostages” had shot at them in “two separate incidents” and that a committee had been formed to investigate.
Hamas has urged mediators to implement a ceasefire plan previously presented by Biden rather than hold more talks.
But Israel has accepted an invitation from the United States, Qatar and Egypt to send negotiators.
“The reason we are doing that is to finalize the details of the implementation of the framework agreement,” Israeli government spokesman David Mencer told a news conference.
– ‘Stop this war’ –
Pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza grew after civil defense workers in the Hamas-held area said an Israeli airstrike on Saturday killed 93 people at a school housing displaced Palestinians.
Israel said it was targeting militants operating from the school and mosque.
On Monday, witnesses told AFP that Israel struck Khan Yunis and Rafah from the air. The Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, which has been fighting alongside Hamas in Gaza, said its militants were fighting Israeli forces in Khan Yunis.
At the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, Suhail Abu Batihan said the Israeli bombardment is “causing terror” among residents, and called on mediators and “the world… to intervene to stop this war.”
The war in Gaza began with Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures.
Militants have also seized 251 people, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 who the army says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory military offensive in Gaza has killed at least 39,897 people, according to a new tally by the territory’s health ministry, which does not provide a breakdown of civilian and militant deaths.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)