Beijing, 17 Apr (Xinhua) -- Israeli media reported on 16 April, citing a number of sources, that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have made a decision on how to respond to the attack on Israel by "Iran and its proxies," but the timing of the action has not yet been chosen.
IDF Chief of Staff Al-Halevi (back right) speaks at the Nevatim Air Base in southern Israel on April 15. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of the Israel Defense Forces)
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has once again called on all parties to exercise restraint. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the escalation of tensions in the Middle East is not in the interests of either side and that "level-headedness" is needed at the moment.
Israel has vowed to retaliate, but the timing is undecided
According to Israel's "Jerusalem Post" reported on the 16th, the Israel Defense Forces have made a decision on how to respond to the attack of "Iran and its proxies". However, the timing of the action has not yet been chosen, and the preparations are complex, and the current programme may change.
This is the footage of the Israeli "Iron Dome" air defense system activating the interception, which was filmed in the early hours of April 14 over Jerusalem. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Jamal Awad)
The Jerusalem Post reported that these important developments show that the Israeli leadership is serious and firm in its determination to push back against Iran.
On the 1st of this month, at least 13 people were killed in a missile attack on the consular section building of the Iranian embassy in Syria. Iran and Syria said the attack was carried out by Israel. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced in the early morning of the 14th that it would launch a large number of missiles and drones at Israeli targets. The Israeli military said more than 300 drones and missiles were fired at Israel, of which "99 percent" were intercepted.
Israeli Chief of General Staff Hezi Al-Halevi said on the 15th that Iran would eventually "be counterattacked", but he did not specify when and how to counterattack.
According to the Associated Press, citing two U.S. officials, Israel has so far not informed the U.S. of how it intends to retaliate.
On the 16th, the Israeli military showed the media the wreckage of an Iranian missile intercepted by the Israeli army at a military base in southern Israel. Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said each warhead carried 500 kilograms of explosives. He reiterated that Israel will fight back against Iran "at the time and place we choose, in the way we choose."
The United States seeks sanctions but does not engage in retaliation
An Israeli government source told Reuters that the Israeli wartime cabinet meeting scheduled for the 16th was postponed to the 17th.
The photo, released on April 14, shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meeting at the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of the Information Office of the Government of Israel)
This will be the third time that Israel's wartime cabinet has met to discuss a response to Iran, and no decision has been announced after the first two meetings.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Israel Katz said he had sent letters to more than 30 countries seeking sanctions on Iran's missile program and designating Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a "terrorist organization."
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that the United States will launch new sanctions against Iran and work with allies, and all options to disrupt the financial chain of Iranian "terrorists" are under consideration.
John Kirby, coordinator of strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, previously said that US President Joseph Biden made it clear during a phone call with Netanyahu that the United States would not participate in retaliatory strikes against Iran.
Kirby said again on the 15th: "We don't want to see a war with Iran, we don't want to see a regional conflict." Asked by media reporters whether Biden asked Netanyahu to exercise "restraint" in responding to the attack, Kirby did not comment.
British Prime Minister Sunak had a phone call with Netanyahu on the 16th, saying that the escalation of tensions in the Middle East is not in the interests of any party, and will only exacerbate regional insecurity, and now it is necessary to "cool the head".
In a telephone conversation with Israeli Defense Minister Yoaf Gallant on the same day, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said that Iran's attack on Israel crossed a "red line" but that "now we need to act sensibly and in accordance with international law to avoid a continued escalation of violence." Italy currently holds the rotating presidency of the G7, and the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting is scheduled to be held for three days from the 17th.
Turkey denounces Western "double standards"
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed Western countries for "double standards" on the 16th, saying that the other side was silent on Israel's attack on the consular department of the Iranian embassy in Syria, but now he is "rushing to condemn Iran's response (because of the attack)." He also accused Netanyahu of "prolonging his political career" and pushing up tensions in the region.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks in parliament in Ankara, Turkey, October 1, 2023. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Mustafa Kaya)
UN spokesman Stefana Djarric said on the 16th that UN Secretary-General Guterres had a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on the 15th, reiterating his call for easing the current tension and bringing peace to the Middle East.
Dijarric said that Guterres has not yet spoken to high-level Israeli officials, but at the relevant emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the 14th, Israel's permanent representative to the United Nations, Gilad Edan, has heard Guterres' voice, who urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint at that time.
This escalation is the latest manifestation of the spillover from the conflict in Gaza. Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said on the 16th that the international community's efforts to promote a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip are "seriously insufficient."
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on the 16th that an independent Palestinian state should be recognized as soon as possible, and "Spain will work hard to promote the Palestinian state to become a full member of the United Nations." (Chen Lixi)
(Source: Xinhua News Agency)
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