Washington predicts 'significant' Iranian attack on Israel as early as 'this week'

Photo: Siddiqullah Alizai Associated Press Taliban fighters attend a ceremony in Kabul on August 4 for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran.

Aurélia End – Agence France-Presse in Washington

Published yesterday at 1:41 p.m. Updated yesterday at 4:04 p.m.

• Middle East

The United States warned Monday of a “significant” Iranian attack on Israel as early as this week, joining several European countries in calling on Tehran to “renounce” it.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country had the “right to respond” to any aggression against it during a telephone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who urged him to avoid escalation.

The United States “shares Israel’s concern” about an imminent attack from Iran and Tehran’s allied groups in the region, said John Kirby, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council.

Washington, which has been increasing its military presence in the Middle East in recent days, is anticipating “a series of significant attacks,” possibly as early as “this week,” from Iran and allied armed groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Give up”

The topic was raised during a meeting Monday between President Joe Biden and the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.

All called on Iran, in a joint statement released later, to “renounce” an attack that would have “grave consequences” for regional security.

German Chancellor and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed their concerns directly in telephone conversations with the Iranian president.

“Iran will never yield to pressure, sanctions and coercion, but considers that it has the right to respond to aggressors in accordance with international standards,” the latter said, according to a statement released by the official IRNA news agency after a telephone conversation with the German leader.

The White House acknowledged that if the Iranian attack were to occur, “it could certainly have implications for the talks” scheduled for Thursday on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, along with the release of Israeli hostages held there.

“Hostages”

A spokesman for Hamas’s military wing announced Monday that its fighters had “killed one hostage” and “wounded two female hostages” in “two separate incidents” in the Gaza Strip, where 111 Israelis are still being held, 39 of whom have died, according to the Israeli military.

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Iran and its allies have threatened Israel with armed retaliation after the July 31 assassination in Tehran, of the Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, attributed to Israel, and the death, the day before, of the military leader of Hezbollah, Fouad Chokr, killed in an Israeli strike near Beirut.

In April, Tehran had already launched an unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israeli territory, in retaliation for a strike against the Iranian consulate in Damascus, attributed to Israel.

Tensions are also very high in Lebanon, after months of exchanges of fire on the Israeli-Lebanese border between the powerful Islamist movement Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, and the Israeli army.

Which is continuing its offensive in the Gaza Strip, particularly in regions where it is facing a resurgence of Hamas and allied groups.

On Monday, aerial bombardments targeted Khan Younès and Rafah, in the south, according to residents.

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• Iran and its allies prepare their response against Israel

The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, on Monday asked Canadians to leave Lebanon “immediately”, citing “the extremely dangerous situation” in the region.

School

In the north, the identification of bodies continues after the Israeli strike on a school which killed 93 Palestinians, according to the Civil Defense, Saturday in Gaza City.

The Israeli army, according to which this school was used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, claimed that its strike had “eliminated” 31 fighters from the two armed Palestinian movements.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007 and which it considers a terrorist organization along with the United States and the European Union, after the attack on its soil that killed 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli data.

The Israeli offensive launched in retaliation on the Gaza Strip has left at least 39,897 dead, according to data from the Health Ministry of the Hamas-led Gaza government, which does not detail the number of civilians and fighters killed.

Canadians in Lebanon

“The responsibility of all Canadians is to do everything they can to leave Lebanon while the airports are closed.” still open,” Justin Trudeau said, asserting that the risk of escalation of violence is “real” between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah.

According to authorities, 20,000 Canadians are in Lebanon and, in late June, Canada had advised travellers against going to the country because of the “unstable and unpredictable” situation.

The Canadian military has set up emergency resources in Cyprus to evacuate its citizens from the region if commercial flights are disrupted.

“We are trying to be prepared for all eventualities,” Justin Trudeau said Monday, but the “best thing for Canadians to do is to avoid being in the Middle East.”

Agence France-Presse