According to CCTV News, in the early morning of April 19, after hesitating for several days, Israel still launched an air strike on Iran. There are now differing accounts of the effects of the attacks. Iran said that the nuclear facilities were safe, and said that Israel only dispatched three drones to launch the attack, and that Iran's air defense system had intercepted all of them, and there was no damage on the ground. But U.S. officials said the Israeli missile had hit a building inside Iran.
The key targets of the Israeli attack are the central Iranian city and the capital of Isfahan province
The location of the Israeli attack was chosen very carefully. According to the global network, Isfahan, which has a large number of nuclear facilities in Iran, heard multiple explosions during the attack. The purpose of targeting nuclear facilities is to deter Iran, and Israel's ability to destroy Iran's potential nuclear capabilities is one of Iran's biggest concerns.
Moreover, the target of the Israeli attack is not only Iran, but also Iraq and Syria. As we all know, there have always been many pro-Iranian Shiite armed forces in Iran and Syria. Therefore, Israel's move is a demonstration to Shiites in the Middle East, and it is also suspected of dividing and dividing the Islamic world. After all, in the Middle East, there is a long-standing contradiction between Shiites and Sunnis.
Israeli Air Force
Earlier, Iran had clearly warned that if Israel retaliated, Iran would take stronger countermeasures. But it is clear that Israel does not intend to heed Iran's warnings. Even if the Biden administration tries its best to dissuade it, Israel's wartime cabinet with Netanyahu at the core does not intend to calm things down, which means that the entire Middle East situation is already at risk of getting out of control. Neither Iran nor Israel is willing to budge now, and attacks on targets in each other's territory are likely to increase in the future.
Israel's plan is to escalate the regional situation, expand the front, and force the United States to come out. If a situation can be created between the United States and Israel against Iran and the pro-Iranian Shiite forces in the Middle East, Israel will be able to successfully dissolve the situation. On the one hand, public opinion and military pressure on Israel will be transferred to the United States. On the other hand, it can reduce the attention of the outside world to the situation in Gaza. Although the United States and Europe still clearly refuse to play to this day, the pressure on Israel has been significantly reduced, and the G7 and the European Union are even increasing their support for Israel.
Biden with Netanyahu
Judging by Iran's statements, it is clear that it does not want to make a big deal out of it. Iran now needs to solve the problem of domestic economic development and social stability, and once pulled into the water by Israel, it will not only face more severe and comprehensive economic sanctions from the United States and the West, but also face direct pressure from the United States and Europe militarily.
Therefore, before the Israeli attack, Iran took the initiative to express its stance and launched a limited round of retaliation, and the bombing of the Iranian embassy in Syria can be regarded as a turning page. Iran's foreign minister also made a clear commitment at the Security Council a few days ago that he is willing to ease bilateral relations as long as Israel suspends its attacks on Iran. But now it seems that the two sides are stuck in a cycle of attacking each other, and there is a lack of steps to stop the conflict between Iran and Israel.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran
With regard to Israel's air strikes on Iran, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of our country has made its position clear. Spokesman Lin Jian said that he opposes any action that leads to an escalation of the situation. When Iran attacked Israel earlier, China called on all parties to exercise restraint and reminded the United States to use its influence over Israel to contribute to peace and stability in the Middle East.
China's completely different attitude is not a "double standard", but an expression of position based on objective facts. The origin of the direct conflict between Iran and Israel was when Israel blew up the Iranian embassy in Syria in violation of international law. There is nothing wrong with Iran launching a limited self-defense response in this regard, and even Israel itself admits that Iran's attack did not cause significant damage. If Israel exercises restraint, the bombing of the Iranian embassy will be over. However, Israel, which provoked the dispute, does not intend to calm the situation, but wants to continue to escalate the situation and expand the war situation. Although China's wording has changed subtly on two occasions, its core position remains unchanged, that is, it hopes for peace in the Middle East.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian
Now that the ball is back at Iran's feet, it is up to Iran to decide whether to make better of its promise and launch a stronger counterattack, or whether it chooses to swallow this bad breath.