Iran's UN mission says any Iranian military response to Israel's deadly air attack on Iran's consulate in Damascus could have been avoided if the UN Security Council had condemned the Israeli attack. he suggested.
Iran's statement on Thursday came amid increasing media reports of an impending Iranian attack on Israel or Israeli interests.
“If the UN Security Council had condemned the Zionist regime's reprehensible act of aggression against our diplomatic facility in Damascus and subsequently brought its perpetrators to justice, it would have removed Iran's urgent obligation to punish this rogue regime. “The Iranian mission could have been carried out,” the Iranian mission said on social media. Media Posts.
Iran has promised a “firm” response to the Israeli attack that killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in Damascus on April 1, including two generals.
The Israeli attack and expected Iranian retaliation have raised fears of an all-out regional war in the Middle East, as the conflict in the Gaza Strip escalates, and calls for de-escalation are mounting.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian held a telephone conversation on Thursday with the foreign ministers of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Iraq and Germany.
According to the Berlin News Agency, German Foreign Minister Annalena Verbock warned against further tensions during talks with Amir Abdullahian.
“It must be in everyone’s interest to avoid further regional escalation. We urge all parties in the region to act responsibly and exercise maximum restraint. We request that you do so,” the German Federal Foreign Ministry said in a post to X.
German airline Lufthansa on Thursday extended the suspension of flights to Tehran, Reuters reported, citing a company spokesperson.
Russia also warned its citizens against traveling to the Middle East, particularly Israel, the Palestinian Territories, and Lebanon.
The United States, which has troops stationed across the region, had pledged support to its allies and warned Iran not to attack Israel.
“Our commitment to Israel's security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is steadfast. Let me say it again, ironclad,” US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday. “We will do everything in our power to keep Israel safe.”
A US official who spoke to Al Jazeera Arabic on condition of anonymity said Biden's comments were not just rhetoric and that the US would help intercept Iranian rockets and drones against Israel.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with Israeli Defense Minister Job Gallant on Wednesday.
“Secretary Blinken reiterated the United States' support for Israel's security and made clear that the United States stands by Israel against any threat posed by Iran and its proxies,” the State Department said in a statement. .
Blinken also met with his Turkish, Chinese and Saudi counterparts, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Thursday.
“We have made a series of contacts as well as his contacts. [Blinken’s] “We need to speak with foreign stakeholders to send a clear message to Iran that this conflict must not escalate,” Miller said.
The New York Times, citing unnamed Pentagon officials, reported that the top US general in the Middle East, Michael E. Kurilla, was visiting Israel on Thursday to discuss a possible attack on Iran.
Later on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre gave no details on how the United States would respond to the Iranian attack, but reiterated that the United States is committed to Israel's security. “I want to be really careful. I'm not going to go into operational procedures from here,” she told reporters.
Iran hardliners in the US Congress are demanding that the US government respond strongly to Iran's military actions against Israel.
“Israel is under threat of imminent attack by Iran,” Republican Sen. Tom Cotton said in a social media post Thursday. “President Biden must immediately warn the Ayatollahs that the United States fully supports Israel and that joint U.S.-Israeli retaliation for any attack will be swift and devastating.”
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to threaten Iran and other adversaries, saying his country was ready for “challenges in other areas” beyond the war in Gaza.
“We have decided on a simple rule: whoever hurts us, we will hurt them,” Netanyahu said during a visit to an air base in central Israel, according to the prime minister's office. He said he is ready to meet all of the Israeli state's security needs, both on the offensive and on the offensive.
Israeli forces have been attacking Iran-linked targets in Syria for years as Tehran strengthens its military presence in the war-torn country.
But the attack on Iranian diplomatic facilities in Damascus earlier this month was seen as particularly brazen. It drew condemnation from the Middle East and other parts of the world.
“The consulates and embassies of any country are considered its territory. If they attack our consulate, it means they attacked our territory,” said Iranian Supreme Leader Ali. – Ayatollah Khamenei was reported to have made the remarks on Wednesday by Mehr News Agency.
“The Zionist regime made a mistake and should and will be punished.”
