Tension remains high in the Middle East. On the night of Friday April 19 to Saturday April 20, an Iraqi military base in the center of the country suffered an “explosion”, killing at least one person. The United States denies any involvement. Citing “a report from the air defense command” and the inspection of radars, the media cell of the Iraqi security forces assures that “there were no drones or combat aircraft in the airspace of the province of Babylon before or during the explosion.
Information to remember
⇒ In Iraq, an “explosion” on a military base leaves at least one victim
⇒ Calls for restraint after attack in Iran blamed on Israel
⇒ Lebanon: Macron invests again in the crisis and to “prevent” escalation with Israel
Iraq: one dead in a military base
A “bombing”, according to the term initially used, left one dead and eight injured during the night from Friday to Saturday on a military base in Iraq housing army troops and former pro-Iran paramilitaries of Hachd al- Chaabi, security sources reported in an already explosive regional context.
Questioned by AFP, a military official and another from the Ministry of the Interior were initially unable to identify those responsible for this aerial bombardment which targeted the Calso base, in the province of Babylon (center), nor to say if it was a drone strike. “The United States did not carry out airstrikes in Iraq today,” responded the American Military Command for the Middle East (Centcom) on X, shortly after this announcement.
Citing “a report from the air defense command” and the inspection of radars, the media cell of the Iraqi security forces assured this Saturday that “there were no drones or combat aircraft in the airspace of the province of Babylon before or during the explosion.
Calls for restraint after Iran attack blamed on Israel
The international community calls for restraint after a retaliatory attack against Iran attributed to Israel, in a context of escalation in the Middle East since the devastating war in Gaza where strikes continue this Saturday, April 20. After a day of high tension on Friday in the region, airstrikes continue in different sectors of the Gaza Strip. Before dawn yesterday, explosions were heard near a military base in the Isfahan region of central Iran. But Iranian authorities have downplayed the impact of the explosions and have not directly accused Israel, which has not claimed responsibility for them.
Media in the United States, citing American officials, claimed that it was an Israeli operation carried out in response to an unprecedented Iranian drone and missile attack against Israel on April 13. Israel has vowed to make Iran, its sworn enemy, pay the price for its attack. A senior official in the American Congress, who did not wish to be named, confirmed to AFP an Israeli attack in Iran.
Lebanon: Macron invests again in the crisis and to “prevent” escalation with Israel
Emmanuel Macron once again became personally involved in the Lebanese crisis on Friday, pledging to do everything “to prevent the increase in violence between Lebanon and Israel”, and urging the country’s leaders to “finally” resolve the institutional crisis.
A sign of this investment, the French president has increased his contacts: he received the Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the Elysée, but also the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese army, Joseph Aoun. The latter also participated in a meeting in Paris with his French and Italian counterparts, whose countries are among the main contributors to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The army plays a crucial role in preserving Lebanon’s stability. General Aoun has good relations with most parties and is sometimes cited as a solution to the political crisis shaking the country.
Israeli strikes on military position in southern Syria
Israeli strikes targeted a military position in southern Syria at dawn on Friday, the Syrian Defense Ministry and an NGO said, at a time when Israel launched an attack against Iran according to American media. “At around 02:55 (local time), the Israeli enemy carried out an attack using missiles […] targeting our air defense sites in the southern region,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement, adding that the strike caused “material” damage.
For its part, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) reported “Israeli strikes targeting a radar position of the Syrian army in the province of Daraa, which had detected the entry of planes Israelis in Syrian airspace. The director of this NGO, based in the United Kingdom but which has a vast network of sources in Syria, Rami Abdel Rahmane, added that the strikes took place “at a time when Israeli aircraft were intensively flying over the Daraa region.” , without the Syrian air defenses coming into action.
Iran denounces ‘irresponsible’ US veto of Palestinian candidacy to UN
Iran on Friday called the United States’ vote blocking the Palestinian bid for full membership in the UN “irresponsible” and “unconstructive.” Twelve countries voted in the UN Security Council on Thursday in favor of a draft resolution recommending full Palestinian membership in the UN. The United States, Israel’s main ally, vetoed the request while Britain and Switzerland abstained.
Washington’s vote “revealed the fraudulent nature of American foreign policy and its isolated position,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said, calling it “irresponsible” and “unconstructive.” . The Islamic Republic of Iran, which does not recognize Israel, has made support for the Palestinian cause a centerpiece of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.