Israeli forces carried out new deadly raids in the Gaza Strip and Lebanese Hezbollah launched rocket salvos towards the Israeli north, amid fears of an Iranian attack on Israel. Lebanese Hezbollah, supported by Iran, announced Friday that it had launched “dozens of rockets” at Israeli positions, in response, according to it, to Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli army indicated for its part that “around 40 shots were detected coming from Lebanese territory, some of which were intercepted”. “No injuries were reported,” the army said, adding that it had previously intercepted two “Hezbollah explosive drones”.
Information to remember
⇒ Joe Biden expects Iran to attack Israel “soon”
⇒ Israel launched a vast search operation in the occupied West Bank after the disappearance of a young Israeli shepherd
⇒ Ireland, Spain and Norway ready to recognize a Palestinian state
Biden expects Iran to attack Israel ‘soon’
Joe Biden said on Friday that he expected Iran to take action “soon”, in response to a question about Iranian threats of retaliation against Israel, and called on Tehran not to attack . “I don’t want to give confidential information but I expect it to be soon,” said the American president, who also responded to a question about the message he wanted to send to Tehran: “Don’t Don’t!” “We will help Israel to defend itself and Iran will fail,” he warned.
The United States announced Friday the sending of reinforcements to the Middle East, while Israel is on alert in the face of a possible Iranian attack. Iran has vowed to retaliate after a deadly April 1 strike against its Syrian consulate in Damascus, an operation it blames on Israel. After Joe Biden’s announcement on Wednesday that Iran “threatens to launch a significant attack against Israel”, an American general in charge of the Middle East, Michael Erik Kurilla, is in Israel.
In the West Bank, the disappearance of an Israeli teenager triggers violence
Israel launched a vast search operation in the occupied West Bank on Friday after the disappearance of a young Israeli shepherd, provoking violence which, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, left one dead and several injured. The Israeli army announced these operations aimed at finding Benjamin Achimeir, aged 14, against a backdrop of increased violence in the West Bank since the start of the war. The young shepherd left his farm early Friday to graze his flock, according to his family, and has not given any sign of life since. The army deployed its special forces, air assets and dog teams to comb the area around Malachei HaShalom, northeast of Ramallah, and set up roadblocks.
“Thousands of volunteers from all over the country are participating in the search with army units,” assured in a video Israel Ganz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council, the administration which manages the set of settlements in the center of the West Bank. Soldiers and civilians walked over hills and fields all afternoon, to no avail. “All scenarios are possible,” according to Israel Ganz. “We’ll stay here until we find Benjamin.” In the afternoon, armed settlers invaded the Palestinian village of al-Mughayyir, some 500 meters from the Malachei HaShalom farms, and attacked residents while a muezzin called through loudspeakers for residents to stay home. The army intervened and surrounded the town.
Gaza: the Pope expresses “his great suffering”
Pope Francis expressed his “great” suffering due to the war between Israel and Hamas in a message to mark the end of Ramadan on Friday. “I suffer greatly because of the conflict in Palestine and Israel,” the pope, 87, wrote in a message sent to the Al Arabiya channel to mark the end of the Ramadan fast and made public by the Vatican. “May there be an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where a humanitarian catastrophe is taking place. May aid be allowed to reach the Palestinian people who are suffering greatly, and may the hostages captured in October be released,” Pope Francis said.
He also spoke of “Syria in the grip of war, Lebanon and the entire Middle East.” “Enough, stop,” ordered the Pope. “Please stop the clash of arms and think of the children, all children, as you do for your own children,” he asked. “They need homes, parks and schools, not graves and mass graves,” the pope added.
Ireland, Spain and Norway ready to recognize a Palestinian state
Ireland, Spain and Norway are ready to recognize a Palestinian state, in conjunction with other countries, the Prime Ministers of these three countries declared on Friday. The Spanish head of government Pedro Sánchez, who pleads for the recognition of a Palestinian state, went to Oslo on Friday and then to Dublin, where he held joint press conferences with his Norwegian and Irish counterparts, Jonas Gahr Støre and Simon Harris.
“We believe that the moment (to recognize a Palestinian state) is getting closer,” said Simon Harris, Irish Prime Minister since Tuesday. “We would like to do it with as many other (countries) as possible in order to give weight to the decision and send the strongest message,” he added. For his part, Pedro Sánchez indicated that Ireland and Spain were “committed to publicly recognizing Palestine as a state when conditions are suitable”.
Ireland has long said it has no objection to officially recognizing the Palestinian state if it would contribute to the Middle East peace process. The war in Gaza has revived this question. On Friday morning, Jonas Gahr Støre said Norway was “ready to make a decision on recognizing a Palestinian state.” “This decision must be taken based on timing and context, in close coordination with like-minded countries. We have not set a specific timetable,” he added. The Norwegian Parliament adopted a proposal in November, tabled by the ruling parties, asking the government to be ready to recognize an independent Palestinian state.