USA, Blinken tries again: new “peace” mission in the Middle East
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is leaving for a tour of the Middle East, in the context of fears that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic group Hamas could escalate and lead to a regional crisis. This will be his fourth visit to the region and fifth to Israel, excluding the one he made in October with US President Joe Biden, since Hamas carried out the October 7 attack. The US diplomatic chief's trip will include Greece and Turkey, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters, before reaching Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Egypt. “We don't expect every conversation on this trip to be easy. Obviously it's about addressing difficult questions and decisions, but the secretary believes it is the responsibility of the United States to lead diplomatic efforts to address those challenges,” Miller said.
Blinken will stress that it is “imperative to expand and maintain safe access for humanitarian aid, but also for commercial goods in all areas of Gaza”. In his meetings with Israeli officials he will talk about the executive branch's efforts to transition plans to the next phase of operations and measures that can be taken to better protect civilians and see “how to allow Palestinians to return to their homes and neighborhoods.” when the fighting stops.”
The release of the hostages still in the hands of Hamas will be another item on the agenda, as will how different actors in the region can use their influence to avoid an escalation of the conflict. “It is not in anyone's interest, not in Israel, not in the region, not in the world, for it to extend beyond Gaza,” the spokesperson said. The trip takes place in the aftermath of two significant events in the region: yesterday 84 people lost their lives in a terrorist attack in the city of Kerman, Iran, where thousands of people were taking part in the ceremony commemorating the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, carried out in 2020 on the orders of former US President Donald Trump.
Added to this is the fact that on Tuesday a drone killed the number two of the political wing of Hamas, Saleh al Arouri, in an attack attributed to Israel. Arouri's murder in Beirut has raised fears that the situation between Israel and Lebanon could deteriorate and lead to open war. Hamas has promised to respond and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah also said in a televised speech that his group would “fight without limits” if Israel declares war on Lebanon. For now the situation on the Lebanese-Israeli border remains at a low-intensity level of confrontation relatively similar to that of recent weeks.
Iran: “ISIS claimed responsibility for the explosions at the Kerman cemetery”
ISIS claimed responsibility for two explosions in Kerman, Iran, which killed 84 people and the wounding of 284 others. This was reported on X Mizan, the website of the Iranian Judiciary, citing “some media reports”. The first of two explosions that killed 84 people on Wednesday in Kerman, Iran, was caused by a suicide bomber. Irna reports it, citing an informed source. Although investigations into the second explosion are still ongoing, according to the source, in this case too it was another suicide bomber.
“Strike Jews and Christians everywhere”: this is the appeal launched by the ISIS spokesperson, Abu Hudhayfah Al-Ansari, in an audio message of over 30 minutes focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The audio, released by the official al Furqan channel, is titled “kill them wherever you find them”, report networks that monitor online jihadism.
Iran, the Interior Minister reviews the death toll at the Kerman cemetery: there are 84
The Iranian Interior Minister, Ahmad Vahidi, has revised the death toll at the Kerman cemetery downwards from 103 to 84 due to the double terrorist explosion, which hit the crowd gathered to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the death of General Qasem Soleimani. According to the Tasnim agency, Vahidi gave this number during visits to the hospitals where those injured in the attack were hospitalized, based on information received from forensic doctors.
READ ALSO: Iran, explosions near Soleimani's tomb: over 100 dead and 140 injured
Iran, Deputy Foreign Minister Bagheri: “Israel is engaging in criminal behavior in Gaza”
“The United States considers its own interests as the only point of reference for the legitimacy of international relations.” He says this in an interview with La Stampa Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani in light of the work of the conference on Palestine hosted in Tehran at the end of 2023. “The symposium gave continuation to the commitments of various actors at the regional and international level aimed at putting an end to the crimes of the Zionists in Gaza, and also aimed at supporting the Palestinian people – he explains to La Stampa -.
The high-level participation in the conference demonstrated that many governments are sensitive to the crimes committed in the Strip and feel concerned about the Gazans”. According to Bagheri “for years the USA has proposed plans to resolve the Palestinian issue, but they themselves have had to admit its own failure”. This is because of the “criminal behavior” implemented by Israel in Gaza. “Today the world faces a clash between the forces of good and evil, and Iran's responsibility in this arena is crucial” , adds Bagheri. The point is that “it is the Americans themselves who are mainly responsible for the continuation of the conflict and its expansion, through their unbridled support for Israel – he comments -. Therefore, the main responsible for the crimes of the Zionists, after the Zionists themselves, are the USA“. Bagheri calls on all Islamic countries “to guarantee the Palestinians the opportunity to determine their own destiny by putting an end to the war crimes and genocide committed by the Israeli regime”.
Israel – Hamas war, now Tehran ready to react to the attack
“So far Tehran has not reacted to other attacks, but this time it could go differently”. She stated this in an interview with Corriere della Sera Vali Nasr, professor at Johns Hopkins University in Washington and one of the leading experts on international relations and the Middle East, commenting on yesterday's massacre in Kerman near the cemetery where General Qassem Soleimani is buried. “The chosen target has a high symbolic value: the tomb of General Soleimani, eliminated four years ago by the Americans. Soleimani was a leader of the Revolutionary Guards, the Pasdaran. The Iranians will connect the dots: the Kerman bombs arrive immediately after the killing of Saleh al-Arouri (the number two of Hamas, ed.) and Razi Mousavi, another general of the Pasdaran, active in Syria”, reasons Nasr, believing that “the Iranians consider this attack a provocation by Israel”. According to the analyst, with the attacks against al-Arouri and Mousavi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent “a powerful signal” not only to Hamas, but also to Hezbollah and Iran: “see?
We can hit you how and when we want. But the explosions at the cemetery mark a change of scenery. Many innocent people died. It seems like a provocation, indeed.” For Nasr, “Netanyahu is trying to widen the conflict in Gaza, to reach the final showdown with Hezbollah and, above all, with Iran. Naturally this scheme involves the full and total involvement of the United States.” In Tehran, he concludes, “it is clear that they think that this massacre cannot go unpunished. The answer probably won't come right away, but it's hard to imagine it not being there.”
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