Israel and Hamas at War, Day 311 | Iranian Attack on Israel Grows More Threat

(Washington) 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 Massoud Pezeshkian said his country had the “right to respond” to any aggression against it, during a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who urged him to avoid an 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 reinforced its military presence in the Middle East in recent days, is planning “a series of significant attacks” that could occur as early as “this week” by 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 Britain.

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

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer both called for a de-escalation of tensions 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 the aggressors in accordance with international standards,” the latter said, according to a statement published by the official IRNA agency after the telephone conversation with the German leader.

The White House acknowledged that if the Iranian attack were to occur, “it could certainly have an impact on the discussions” planned for Thursday on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, accompanied by the release of Israeli hostages held there.

In a call with the Iraqi prime minister, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Monday “the importance of Iraq’s responsibility to protect the international coalition from attacks by militias supported by Iran.”

A hostage killed

The spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing announced on Monday that its fighters had “killed a 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 army.

Iran and its allies have threatened Israel with an armed response after the assassination on July 31 in Tehran of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, attributed to Israel, and the death the day before of Hezbollah military leader Fouad Shokr, 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 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 Younis and Rafah in the south, residents said.

School hit

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

The Israeli army, which said the school was being used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, said its strike “eliminated” 31 fighters from both armed Palestinian movements.

Israël a promis de détruire le Hamas, au pouvoir à Gaza depuis 2007 et qu’il considère comme une organisation terroriste de même que les États-Unis et l’Union européenne, après l’attaque sur son sol qui a entraîné la mort de 1198 personnes, en majorité des civils, selon un décompte de l’AFP basé sur des données officielles israéliennes.

L’offensive israélienne lancée en représailles sur la bande de Gaza a fait au moins 39 897 morts, d’après des données du ministère de la Santé du gouvernement de Gaza, dirigé par le Hamas, qui ne détaille pas le nombre de civils et de combattants tués.

Tension entre Nétanyahou et son ministre de la Défense

Le premier ministre israélien Benyamin Nétanyahou a véhément répondu lundi à son ministre de la Défense Yoav Gallant qui l’a accusé, selon des médias, de « retarder » un accord de trêve dans la bande de Gaza.

« La raison pour laquelle l’accord » pour une trêve à Gaza où Israël est en guerre contre le Hamas palestinien depuis dix mois « est retardé est, entre autres, Israël », a déclaré lundi M. Gallant devant une commission parlementaire, selon la presse locale.

« Il existe une option d’accord qui mènerait à un arrangement au nord et au sud » d’Israël, avec le Hezbollah libanais et le Hamas palestinien, « et une deuxième option qui est l’escalade qui mènera à la guerre », a-t-il détaillé.

« Moi et l’appareil militaire, nous soutenons la première option », a encore dit le ministre qui a déjà plaidé par le passé pour un accord de trêve négocié.

M. Gallant a aussi tourné en dérision « les bavardages autour d’une victoire totale » sur le Hamas, un mot régulièrement utilisé par le chef de gouvernement.

« Quand Gallant adopte le discours anti-Israël, il réduit les chances d’arriver à un accord de libération des otages », a répondu M. Nétanyahou dans un communiqué de son bureau.

« Israël n’a qu’un choix : la victoire totale, qui signifie l’élimination des capacités militaires et de gouvernance du Hamas et la libération des otages […] “Everyone is required to do this, including Mr. Gallant,” he added.

Following this clarification, Mr. Gallant wrote that X was “determined to achieve the war objectives and continue the fight”, while denouncing “the incessant leaks”, particularly of his comments in a context that was intended to be confidential.

Hamas, for its part, immediately commented on the dispute. One of its leaders, Ezzat al-Rishq, said in a statement that “Gallant’s confession […] confirms what we have always said.”

“Netanyahu is lying to the world and to the families of the hostages, he does not care about the lives of the hostages and does not want to reach an agreement, all that matters to him is that the war continues and spreads,” he added.