Anxiety is at its peak in the Middle East after the massive missile attack launched by Iran on Israel, with the two countries threatening each other with retaliation.
Israel, which has the support of the USA, "promises" revenge on Iran for the missile attack on Tuesday (1/10), while for its part, Tehran emphasizes that in such a case it will respond.
The Israeli Armed Forces (IDF) announced yesterday that about 140 rockets were fired from Lebanon at northern Israel, which were intercepted by anti-missile defenses, while one injury occurred in the western part of the Galilee.
New video of Iran's massive missile attack on Israel
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Benjamin Netanyahu held a summit with security officials as the world awaits Tel Aviv's response to Tehran's strike.
According to an Israeli source, Israel's response will be aimed at causing great economic damage to Iran. According to the Times of Israel, there is a sense that the response must be "dynamic" and come soon.
It remains unknown what the Israeli response will be, while the IDF's "list" includes large power plants, ports and many other targets, as well as assassinations of high-ranking officials.
However, experts say that Israel is not going to do anything that will bring it into conflict with its allies.
With his message to X, Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that his country "will not be destroyed" because it "will stand united". "We are in the midst of a fierce war against Iran's axis of evil, which seeks to destroy us. This will not happen, because we will stand united and with God's help we will win together," said the Israeli prime minister.
"Israel will return the abductees to the South, return the inhabitants to the North and guarantee the eternity of Israel," he added.
Israel-Iran threats from both sides
At the United Nations Security Council meeting, Israel and Iran exchanged threats amid fears of a wider war in the Middle East.
The Council was held after Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and launched ground operations in southern Lebanon against the Tehran-backed Shiite group.
"Israel will defend itself. We will take action. And, I assure you, the consequences that Iran will face for its actions will be far greater than they could ever imagine,” Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told the Council. Both Israel and the US have called for sanctions on Iran.
For his part, Iran's ambassador Amir Sayed Iravani noted that Tuesday's (1/10) missile attack was carried out "to restore balance and for reasons of deterrence". He stressed that further escalation could be avoided if Israel stopped the war in Gaza and attacks in Lebanon.
"Iran is fully prepared to take further defensive measures, if necessary, to protect its legitimate interests and defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty against any act of military aggression and unlawful use of force," he said.
Iranian President: "If Israel retaliates, we will give a stronger response"
Iranian President Massoud Pezheskian assured that his country "does not seek war", but promised that if Israel retaliates for the missile attack, a "stronger response" will follow.
"If Israel retaliates, we will have a stronger response," he told a joint press conference with Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, in Doha.
Iran "does not seek war," Pezeskian assured, and accused Israel of "forcing us to react." Iran's president traveled to Qatar the day after the missile attack on Israel, while according to Tehran, 90% of Iranian missiles hit their targets.
"The evil aim of the Zionist regime is to sow insecurity and spread crisis in the (wider) region," Iran's president complained, urging Americans and Europeans to pressure Israel to "stop the bloodshed."
Lebanon's prime minister calls for a ceasefire
Lebanon's caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati stressed the urgent need for an end to clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah fighters, noting that nearly 1,2 million people have been displaced by Israel's attacks.
"Stop the conflicts. No more blood is needed. No more destruction is needed," Mikati said indignantly at an online event organized by the non-governmental organization ATFL (American Task Force on Lebanon). "There is an immediate need for a ceasefire," he noted and added that a diplomatic solution to end the war would be in the interest of both Israel and Lebanon, stressing that all sides should respect it. Finally, he expressed his willingness to deploy a force of 10.000 Lebanese soldiers in the southern part of his country, if a ceasefire is agreed upon.
New Israeli hammering at night in Beirut with 6 dead
Six people died in an Israeli bombardment on the night of Wednesday to Thursday in the heart of the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The target was a first-aid center affiliated with Hezbollah, according to the Lebanese health ministry and an AFP source in the movement. This is the second attack in downtown Beirut this week.
One of the raids in the Lebanese capital hit a "civil protection center" of the Iran-backed Shiite movement in Basura, in the heart of the city, an AFP source in Hezbollah said. A more recent account of the victims published by the Lebanese Ministry of Health speaks of at least six dead and another seven injured.
AFP correspondents said they heard a loud explosion and felt buildings shake before ambulances rushed to the scene.
The Israeli armed forces launched three aerial bombardments in southern suburbs of Beirut shortly before midnight on Wednesday to Thursday, an AFP source close to Hezbollah said. This is the third series of strikes against this particular bastion of the Shiite movement, which is supported by Iran, in less than 24 hours.
According to the source, "three Israeli strikes targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut last night," as Hezbollah says it is resisting Israeli ground troops that have entered southern Lebanon. AFP journalists near the Lebanese capital heard deafening bangs, which echoed for kilometers.
The source pointed out that an immediate assistance center of a service linked to Hezbollah was hit.
At the same time, the Israeli army issued a new order for the urgent evacuation of civilians from areas of the southern suburbs of Beirut, Haret Khraik, Burj al-Barazna and Hadath Garb, which heralds new bombings against members or installations of Hezbollah.
Another 46 people were killed and 85 wounded by Israeli strikes on Wednesday in various areas of Lebanon, the Lebanese Ministry of Health announced late at night.
Damascus: Nasrallah's son-in-law and son killed in an Israeli airstrike
Israel has targeted members of Hassan Nasrallah's inner circle who could potentially succeed him as the leader of Hezbollah.
On Wednesday evening (2/10), Israeli warplanes raided Damascus, Mezeh district, killing three and wounding three.
According to Sky News Arabic, the strikes killed Hassan Nasrallah's son-in-law, Hassan Jaafar Kasir, while among the dead were his son and another top Hezbollah official.
Hassan Kasir belonged to the very close circle of the dead leader of the Shiite organization, Hassan Nasrallah, as he was his son-in-law. He was also the brother of Mohammed Jaafar Kasir, who was killed in a strike in Beirut on Tuesday (1/10), during the Iranian attack on Israel.
His brother was the head of Hezbollah's Unit 4400, which is tasked with delivering weapons from Iran and its proxies to Lebanon. He was killed in a strike in Beirut along with the commander of the Imam Hossein Division, an Iranian militia that operates alongside Hezbollah.
Biden says 'no' to Israeli attack on Iran nuclear facilities
US President Joe Biden has voiced his opposition to an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, a day after Iran fired nearly 200 missiles at Israel.
"The answer is no," Joe Biden told reporters when asked if he would support such action by Israel.
"All seven of us (including the G7 leaders) agree that the Israelis have the right to react, but they should react accordingly," the US president said, referring to the other leaders of the Group of Seven.
Some analysts estimated that Israel might be trying to hit nuclear or oil facilities in Iran, in retaliation for the second missile attack it received in a few months from Tehran.
The US president told reporters that additional sanctions would be imposed on Iran and that he would be in touch with Israel's prime minister soon. "Obviously, Iran has deviated," Joe Biden said.
State Department: Hamas responsible for non-ceasefire in Gaza
Hamas has refused to take part in negotiations for a hostage-release-ceasefire deal in recent weeks, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
"Hamas has been reluctant to come to the table to engage in recent weeks," Miller said.
"If Iran wants to use the breakdown of ceasefire talks as a justification for its actions, it needs to point to the terrorist group it controls," he continued. "Hamas has been responsible in recent weeks for the collapse of these talks."
He added that the "Gaza-based terrorist group" had stopped cooperating with mediators in Egypt and Qatar.
Source: iefimerida.gr