New day of war today, October 12, between Israel and Lebanon. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for launching missiles against the IDF base in Haifa, southern Israel. This was reported by Al Mayadeen, a media close to Hezbollah, explaining that the missiles were launched at 6am this morning, local time. However, no air-raid warning sirens sounded in Israel, says the Times of Israel.
Blinken: “Maximum diplomatic commitment to avoid wider conflict”
Meanwhile, US pressure for a diplomatic solution continues. It is necessary to reach a diplomatic solution in Lebanon to avoid a wider conflict in the region, declared US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, reiterating that Israel ”has the right to defend itself”, but saying he was ”alarmed” by the humanitarian crisis caused by war. “We remain intensely engaged in preventing a broader conflict in the region,” Blinken told reporters after a summit in Laos.
“We all have a strong interest in trying to help create an environment where people can return home, safely and securely, and children can return to school,” he said. “So Israel has a clear and very legitimate interest” in working for its own security, but “the people of Lebanon want the same thing”. Therefore, Blinken added, “we believe that the best way to get there is through a diplomatic understanding, one that we have been working on for some time and are focused on right now.”
Iran and Israel’s retaliation
The government of Iran is also engaged in ”intense and urgent” diplomatic work with the countries of the Middle East to try to limit Israeli retaliation for the missile attack launched by Tehran on October 1st, CNN reports, citing its own well-informed sources according to whom, if there were to be an Israeli attack, the objective is at least to protect Tehran.
According to sources cited by CNN, Iran’s concern stems from uncertainty over the possibility that the United States will convince Israel not to strike Iranian nuclear sites and oil facilities. The United States has already told Israel that it does not want it to target Iranian nuclear sites or oil fields. US President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, their first conversation in nearly two months, telling him that Israel’s retaliation was “proportionate”.
US allies in the Gulf, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar, have also expressed concern about a possible attack on Iranian oil facilities, which could have a negative impact on the economy and environment of the entire region, he said. an Arab diplomat told CNN.
New IDF warnings in Gaza city: “Evacuate shelters in the north too”
The IDF today issued an ”important message” in Arabic for citizens living in northern Gaza City, saying that ”the area must be evacuated immediately via Salah El-Din Street towards the humanitarian area” because ”it is considered a dangerous combat zone”. The IDF explains that ”the shelters located there” must also be evacuated because the Israeli military is ”operating with great force against terrorist organizations and will continue to do so for a long time”.
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