April 15, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

Iran’s attack on Israel was a “legitimate” and “responsible” reaction, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani reiterated on Monday.

Speaking to reporters in Tehran, Kanaani said “military action was the last resource which exhausted all the diplomatic channels.”

Kanaani said Iran is not looking at “intensifying tension” in the region but will take “proportionate action” to defend itself.

Tehran has said the strikes over the weekend were a retaliation for the bombing of an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus on April 1.

The strikes were the first time the Islamic Republic had launched a direct assault on Israel from its soil, escalating tensions in the Middle East stoked over the war in Gaza.

China has voiced “deep concern” over escalating tensions in the Middle East after Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel.

The attack raised the prospect of a wider conflagration in a region where Beijing has pledged to play peacemaker and promote its own security vision.

Iran's attack has pushed the shadow war between the two regional foes into the open. Western allies are urging Israel to de-escalate as fears grow of an all-out regional war – a scenario Washington has sought to enlist Beijing’s help to avoid.

The latest flare-up of tensions has again raised questions over how much leverage China wields over Iran – and whether Beijing is willing to turn its political capital into influence.

China has been Iran’s biggest trading partner for the past decade and buys 90% of Iran’s oil exports, providing a lifeline to Tehran against US sanctions. Chinese companies also provide Iran with security and surveillance equipment.

But it is difficult for China to pull these levers to influence Iran’s behavior, Figueroa said.

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Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said that Amman does not want a spillover conflict in the Middle East after Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel.

He stressed that all parties to the conflict should focus on the rights of Palestinians in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Iran's ambassador in Amman was summoned on Sunday after Jordan intercepted Iranian drones over its airspace.

Safadi said its response would be the same whether the threat had originated from Iran, Israel or any other country.

When asked whether Iran warned Jordan before the attack, Safadi said "it was no secret to everybody" that the Iranian retaliation was "imminent."

Iran's attack has heightened regional tensions, with Safadi noting that the continuation of the conflict in Gaza and the West Bank could lead to further destabilization.

Safadi said that when the war in Gaza ends, parties can "work on a two-state solution that would fulfil the legitimate rights of the Palestinians to freedom and statehood."

Iran's attack on Israel proves that modern air defense systems save lives, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late Sunday following Tehran's large-scale drone and missile attack on Israel.

According to the Israeli military, the vast majority of more than 300 projectiles — including around 170 drones and 120 ballistic missiles — fired toward Israel by Iran and its proxies were intercepted by aerial defense systems and Israeli allies.

Some background: Zelensky said last week that Ukraine “will lose the war” on its soil if the United States Congress does not approve military aid to help it defend Russia’s invasion.

Zelensky’s warning comes as Congress has for months stalled on a package of aid for Ukraine, leaving Kyiv to battle ammunition shortages while Russia pounds Ukrainian cities with missiles.

The US Senate passed a $95.3 billion foreign aid bill with assistance for Ukraine and Israel in February, but House Speaker Mike Johnson has so far refused to hold a vote on passing the package for Ukraine.

The delay in Congress had boosted Russian confidence, Zelensky said Sunday.

Israeli authorities have released 150 people previously detained in Gaza, according to the Palestinian General Authority for Crossings and Borders on Monday.

Two of the detainees were ambulance workers for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, PRCS said.

They were held for 50 days after being detained at a military checkpoint while trying to evacuate patients from Al-Amal Hospital in the city of Khan Younis on February 25, according to a PRCS statement.

Israel's military has warned Gaza residents that the north of the strip is "a dangerous combat zone" through social media and airdropped leaflets.

The military's Arabic spokesperson posted an "urgent" message on X directing Gazans "to stay in the humanitarian areas and shelters in the southern part of the Strip and avoid attempting to return to the north of the Strip" to "ensure your safety."

The warning comes after thousands of Palestinians, including men, women, children and elderly, came under Israeli fire on Sunday when they attempted to return to their homes in northern Gaza.

Videos began circulating online Sunday morning showing people heading to the north for the first time in such large numbers. Some people told CNN they heard the Israeli military was allowing women and children to move back up. Others said their relatives were allowed to cross over.

A young girl was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers, her mother said. She and her daughter had attempted to cross into the north with Sabreen’s husband, but the soldiers turned him back, leaving her and her four children to face the journey alone. She told CNN her daughter is still in intensive care.

The Dutch embassy in Iran’s capital, Tehran, will remain closed to the public, with officials citing precautionary measures due to escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.

The Dutch consulate-general in Erbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq, will also stay closed.

Earlier on Sunday, the ministry announced the closure of the diplomatic missions hours after Iran launched an attack on Israel.

Reactions to Iran's strikes on Israel have poured in from world leaders, some openly condemning Tehran, others calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and almost all urging restraint during a moment of huge tension in the Middle East.

Here are the latest responses:

Oman has expressed "profound concern" over the escalation in military activities between Iran and Israel, emphasizing the grave implications of these tensions.

The Philippines expressed "serious concern over the increasing tensions between Israel and Iran."

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters condemned Iran's "shocking and illegal strikes against Israel" on Sunday. 

Malaysia and Indonesia have issued separate statements calling for restraint after Iran's retaliatory strikes on Israel.

Both Southeast Asian countries, where Islam is the predominant religion, reiterated support for Palestinian rights and causes. Malaysia and Indonesia do not recognize Israel.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban also condemned Iran's strikes on Israel, warning they posed a "grave" threat globally.

Gold prices rose while Asian stocks mostly fell on Monday, as rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East spurred demand for safe-haven investments after Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel over the weekend.

Oil prices had settled higher on Friday in anticipation of retaliatory action from Iran, hitting their highest levels since October.

They retreated slightly during Asian trading hours on Monday, as traders curtailed the geopolitical risk premium after the attack caused only minor damage, according to Israeli military officials.

Iran’s attack is likely to raise concerns of a possible disruption to oil supply, they said. “The extent of that risk will likely be determined by the reaction of Israel’s government.”

Before Iran’s attack, US stocks ended Friday sharply lower, as Wall Street worried about escalating tension in the Middle East.

US futures are cautiously higher after US President Joe Biden and his national security team, seeking to contain the risk of a wider regional war, told their counterparts the US will not participate in any counter-strike against Iran.

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