Following the assassination in Tehran of the leader of the Palestinian Hamas in an operation attributed to Israel, and the assassination of a senior leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah in a strike claimed by the Hebrew state, a military response is expected, from Iran and probably also from its regional allies such as Hezbollah. Many countries have called on their nationals to leave Lebanon, faced with the scenario of a regional explosion. At the same time, diplomatic efforts and international military preparations are underway.
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The head of the US military command in the Middle East is in Israel on Monday. The United States is positioning itself militarily in the face of an Iranian response considered imminent.
In April, when Iran launched – for the first time – Hundreds of missiles and drones aimed at Israelthe United States had participated in their mid-air interception, in collaboration with several countries, including France, the United Kingdom and Jordan. US President Joe Biden is due to discuss this Monday with the National Security Council.
Jordan is at the forefront of the current diplomatic efforts. The kingdom is a Sunni Arab country that has long-standing diplomatic relations with Israel. An ally of the United States and the Europeans, Jordan has dispatched his foreign minister to Tehran yesterday, carrying a message from King Abdullah II to the Iranian president. The latter, Massoud Pezeshkian, then denounced theAssassination of Ismail Haniyeh as “ a serious mistake ” committed by Israel, claiming that ” This brazen act of the Zionists would not go unanswered “, according to Irna. This Monday, ” Iran has the legal right to punish “Israel,” insisted the Foreign Ministry in Tehran, which however specified that Tehran ” intends to establish stability in the region “.
The Jordanian sovereign also spoke by telephone with French President Emmanuel Macron. The two leaders called for avoiding ” at all costs “regional escalation… The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, urged ” all parties, as well as states with influence, to act urgently “to avoid conflict” wider ” in the region. A Russian emissary, the former Minister of Defense Sergei Shoiguarrived in Tehran, the day after the visit of the head of Jordanian diplomacy.
Tensions which are also a cause for concern for the G7 leaders who, in their press release the day after a video conference meeting, urged ” all parties concerned to refrain from perpetuating the current destructive cycle of violent retaliation “According to the American media outlet Axios, Mr. Blinken told his G7 counterparts that an attack by Iran and Hezbollah against Israel could be launched within the next 24 hours, therefore as early as Monday, according to three sources informed of the discussions. Antony Blinken also spoke by telephone with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Soudani, facing the possibility of attacks by pro-Iranian Iraqi armed groups.
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In Jerusalem, the mood seems relaxed, but only on the surface.
Rocket warning sirens regularly sound in the north and south of the country, but it is not yet the large-scale operation expected. In the center of Jerusalem, the terraces are full. This is the case in this café, where Maia, a young unemployed tourist guide, is quietly sipping a latte with a friend.
The prospect of new attacks on Israel, she doesn’t think about it too much, she’s gotten used to it. Here we are in a permanent state of fear but we must continue our lives, she confided to our special correspondent Murielle Paradon. So we have our coffee, we look for work. We continue to live. It’s a kind of resilience that we are forced to have. »
Avishag, she, is worried. She has made provisions in case of attacks. We buy water and food. And I know that if it becomes dangerous, I might go to my parents, so that we can be together. I have a baby, I have been alone with him for a year. My husband has gone to the army and I am very worried about him. »
For Adam, the quarantine is about the general climate in Israel that is worrying. I’m more worried about Israeli society. People are really losing all capacity for empathy for others, for Palestinians or anyone. And that scares me much more than a rocket that could fall on my house. »
For him, the war between Israel and Gaza has immediate dramatic consequences but it will also have long-term ones.