Israel and Iran traded threats after Tehran launched its first direct attack on its arch-foe, sharply escalating tensions in a region already on edge following six months of conflict in Gaza.
The battle in the besieged region and its growing human toll have reignited the call for a two-state solution, with the UN Security Council set to vote on full UN membership for a Palestinian state on Thursday, according to diplomatic sources.
The US, meanwhile, announced Tuesday that it was drafting fresh penalties against Iran’s missile and drone programs in response to its weekend attack on Israel, and the EU’s foreign policy director hinted that the body might also impose new sanctions.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, said Iran will not get off “scot-free” after Tehran and its allies launched a barrage of over 300 missiles, drones, and rockets into Israel.
“We cannot stand still from this kind of aggression,” Hagari warned, a day after Israel’s military chief promised “a response” to Iran’s attack.
Iran has described the barrage as an act of self-defense in response to a deadly air strike on its consulate in Syria, stating that it will consider the matter “concluded” unless Israel retaliates.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has warned that “the slightest action against Iran’s interests will undoubtedly be met with a severe, extensive, and painful response”.
US President Joe Biden has stated that “the United States is committed to Israel’s security” but want to prevent the war from spreading.
According to a senior US official, Washington, Israel’s main friend and military supplier, has stated unequivocally that it will not join Israel in any retaliation attack on Iran.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced on Tuesday that further sanctions would be imposed against Iran, including its missile and drone programs, as well as the Revolutionary Guards and the Iranian Defense Ministry, in the coming days.
In a statement, he stated that the sanctions will assist to “contain and degrade Iran’s military capacity and effectiveness, as well as confront the full range of its problematic behaviours”.
According to EU foreign policy leader Josep Borrell, Brussels is also working on tightening sanctions against Iran, particularly on its supply of weapons, including drones, to Russia and proxy groups in the Middle East.
Following the incident over the weekend, world leaders urged moderation and de-escalation.
During a phone chat with Iran’s Raisi, Russian President Vladimir Putin urged both sides to avoid “a new round of confrontation fraught with catastrophic consequences for the entire region,” the Kremlin stated.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against “significant escalation” and said now was the time for “calm heads to prevail”.
Palestinian UN vote
Throughout, Israel has continued to strike targets in Gaza, the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory that has been ravaged by more than six months of conflict and a siege on its 2.4 million residents.
Against the backdrop of the ongoing crisis, numerous diplomatic sources told AFP that the Security Council is poised to discuss full Palestinian UN membership on Thursday.
The Palestinians formally resurrected their application submitted to the UN in 2011, despite the fact that the US, which has the veto, has consistently expressed opposition to the proposal.
Algeria, a non-permanent Security Council member, prepared the resolution supporting full Palestinian membership.
The Security Council passed a resolution in March calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, but negotiations for a truce halted after the most recent proposal was rejected by Hamas.
Weighing options
Israel was considering its options following the Iranian drone and missile attack, which caused little damage since Israeli defenses intercepted most projectiles with assistance from US, British, and French forces, as well as regional allies.
It was unknown when Israel would strike again, and whether it would target Iran directly or hit its interests or supporters in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.
Iran-backed Hezbollah, which has been trading cross-border fire with Israel since October, claimed an attack with two explosive drones near a northern Israeli village on Tuesday, injuring three persons, according to the local council.
Also on Tuesday, an Israeli strike killed a Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon, according to a source close to the group and the Israeli military. Hezbollah later declared the deaths of two more fighters, while its ally, the Amal movement, reported one.
Hezbollah claimed to have responded by firing rockets at Israel.
Israel’s military has sworn that tensions with Iran will not distract it from the continuing war in Gaza, where it seeks to destroy Hamas and return prisoners kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas raid that launched the conflict.
Netanyahu told new army recruits on Tuesday that Israeli forces were attacking Hamas “without mercy”.
According to Israeli officials, the group’s October 7 strike on Israel killed 1,170 individuals, the majority of them were civilians.
The militants also grabbed approximately 250 hostages, of which Israel thinks that 129 remain in Gaza, including 34 who are assumed dead.
According to the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,843 individuals, the majority of them were women and children.
‘No change’ in Gaza aid
Israel has faced increased international criticism for the ongoing war, which has resulted in a terrible humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
UNRWA, the United Nations organization for Palestinian refugees, claimed there has been “no significant change” in the amount of humanitarian supplies entering Gaza, despite the International Court of Justice ordering Israel to allow in additional help.
The United Nations announced on Wednesday that it would launch a $2.8 billion appeal to support Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Its humanitarian office, OCHA, said it had expected to raise $4 billion but had reduced the objective because to the difficulty in transporting aid to Gazans.
On Tuesday, UN Women reported that 10,000 Palestinian women, including 6,000 mothers, had been slain six months into the conflict. The agency reported that more than 19,000 children had been orphaned.
With many people in the enclave going hungry, Wissam Dawad was one of hundreds who waited in line for hours to purchase bread from a freshly reopened bakery in Gaza City.
“When Israel prevented us from getting flour, we started eating corn and barley, until it reached the point where we had to eat some animal feed,” he told the AFP news agency.