Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “confirmed that Israel accepts Washington’s compromise plan” for a truce in Gaza, despite ongoing fears of a regional conflagration due to the Iranian threat.
On Monday, August 12, Washington had assured that “a series of significant attacks” led by Iran and allied armed groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon against Israel could occur during the week. Concerns about a military escalation in the Middle East grew in the days that followed, after the multiplication of threats from Iran and its allies against Israel. The assassination by Israeli intelligence of Ismail Haniyeh, leader of Hamas, during a visit to Iran for the inauguration of the new president, led Tehran to promise a strong response. The Islamic Republic News Agency, which is under the authority of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, had published a tweet showing a missile with the caption: “All is ready!” A further sign of the rise in tensions in the region.
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian had then assured that his country had the “right to respond” to any aggression against it. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaan had also announced on August 4 that although “Iran is not interested in the escalation of regional conflicts, it is necessary to punish” Israel. According to the news site Axiosciting two anonymous sources, Iran was ready to directly attack Israel in retaliation for the assassination of the Hamas political leader and was likely to do so in the coming days. Several European countries then called on Tehran to “renounce” it.
US warns
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was ready to confront “Iran and its henchmen on all fronts.” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also informed his American counterpart Lloyd Austin of Iranian military preparations suggesting an imminent attack. Tel Aviv also called for military support from its allies on both the defensive and offensive fronts.
A senior US official warned Iran on Friday of the “cataclysmic” consequences of an attack on Israel. “We would want to dissuade the Iranians from going down that path because the consequences would be cataclysmic, particularly for Iran,” saying it could “derail” talks on a truce in the Gaza Strip. President Joe Biden has assured that the parties involved in the Gaza conflict “have never been closer” to a ceasefire agreement after several days of talks in Qatar. The resumption of these negotiations is expected in Cairo this week.
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09:39 – Benjamin Netanyahu accepts Washington’s plan for a truce in Gaza
On a trip to Tel Aviv on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is seeking to establish a truce in Gaza. After a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he assured that the latter had “confirmed that Israel accepts the compromise plan” from Washington for a truce in Gaza. “It is now up to Hamas to do the same,” he added. Joe Biden had proposed a three-phase plan at the end of May, the first of which consists of a six-week truce accompanied by an Israeli withdrawal from densely populated areas in Gaza and the release of hostages. Hamas, however, accuses Israel of having added “new conditions”, which it feels are being imposed on it via “American diktat”.
08/19/24 – 11:11 PM – Israel accepts US-proposed truce plan
On a trip to Tel Aviv, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted “the compromise plan” proposed by Washington. The latter provides for a new truce in the Gaza Strip through a ceasefire accompanied by the release of the last hostages held since their kidnapping on October 7. “It is now up to Hamas to do the same,” declared Antony Blinken.
08/19/24 – 10:40 PM – Hezbollah accuses Israel of targeting arms depots
The Islamic movement reported to Agence France-Presse that the Israeli army had targeted several Hezbollah arms depots located in eastern Lebanon in the Bekaa region, far from the southern border between the two countries and the scene of daily clashes between the two camps.
For its part, the Israeli army announced that its air force had struck “Hezbollah terrorists” in the town of Houla, in southern Lebanon, reports The Figaro. Information confirmed by Hezbollah itself, which specified that two of its fighters had been killed by Israeli fire.