Iran threatened retaliation against Israel ten days after an air strike hit the Iranian consulate building in Damascus. Although Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the attack, it is believed to be behind it. In recent years, Israel has carried out numerous air strikes against Syrian targets and the military and infrastructure of forces allied with the Damascus government, including the Lebanese Shiite organization Hezbollah. The Israeli leadership has stated several times: It will do everything in its power to prevent Iran from setting foot in Syria. The attack, which occurred on April 1, killed 13 people, including high-ranking Iranian military commanders. He added: “When our consulate was attacked, it was like attacking the territory of our country. The evil regime must be punished, and we will punish it,” Iran’s supreme religious and political leader, Ali Khamenei, said in an interview on Wednesday. He did not say exactly how they would punish Israel, but according to experts Iran is not prepared for an attack on Israel, so it is supposed to use Hezbollah for this purpose, which, however, with its favorable positions and missile defenses, can cause much greater damage inside Israel than that caused by Hamas. And it was not long after that. Even US President Joe Biden promised to do everything in his power to ensure Israel's security. (BBC)
On Thursday, Lufthansa suspended its flights to Tehran due to increasing Israeli-Iranian tensions. Russia also warned its citizens against traveling to the Middle East, especially avoiding Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. (Reuters, guardian)
According to Israeli media, the Israeli army carried out an air strike against the family of a Hamas leader without the knowledge of Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Defense Minister. Ismail Haniyeh, the Qatar-based political leader of Hamas, announced on Wednesday evening that his three sons and four grandchildren were killed in an air strike on Gaza. Relatives of the Hamas leader were attacked in the Al-Sati refugee camp area, west of Gaza City. According to a senior Israeli official, the Israeli army targeted Haniyeh's sons not because they are relatives of the Hamas leader, but because they are Hamas fighters. The Israeli military did not comment on reports that four of Haniyeh's grandchildren may have been killed in the attack. (Reuters)
In an article published by the New York Times on Wednesday, citing a senior Israeli official and a senior Hamas official, it was stated that Hamas does not have 40 hostages alive who meet the criteria for exchange under the proposed ceasefire agreement. CNN also reported these allegations on Wednesday, and according to the newspaper's sources, Hamas informed international mediators that it does not have the necessary number of live hostages who meet the criteria (i.e. women, the sick, and the elderly). According to the newspaper, Israel is now pressuring Hamas to include younger male hostages as well as Israeli soldiers captured in Gaza in the initial release. (now, CNN)
