Lebanese Hezbollah claimed, Monday April 15, to have activated “explosive devices” in the Tal Ismaïl area, near the “Israeli border”. These charges exploded after Israeli soldiers “crossed the border”, the group said in a press release. This is the first time that pro-Iranian Hezbollah, which has exchanged fire with Israel since the start of the war in Gaza, has announced such an operation.
For its part, the Israeli army announced that four of its soldiers, “active in an area on the northern border”, had been injured during the night. One of them was “seriously, following an explosion of unknown origin”. However, she did not confirm that her soldiers had crossed the border with Lebanon. Follow our live stream.
Moscow calls on Tehran and Tel Aviv to “restraint” to avoid any escalation. The Kremlin on Monday called on Iran and Israel to “detention”, after the attack carried out by Tehran against Israeli territory. “We are extremely concerned about the escalation of tensions in the region and we call on all countries in the region to exercise restraint”Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitri Peskov told the press. “A new escalation is in no one’s interest”he added.
Emmanuel Macron accuses Tehran of having created “a profound rupture” in the Middle East. Questioned by BFMTV on Monday, the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, judged that Iran’s unprecedented attack against Israeli territory during the night from Saturday to Sunday did not fall under “the balance of violence” In the region. By deciding to strike Israel, Tehran provoked “a deep break” in the Middle East, believes the head of state, for whom these reprisals are too great. In this case, Iran justifies the firing of more than 300 drones and missiles in the name of “self-defense”after the strike attributed to Israel which targeted the Iranian consulate in Damascus (Syria).
Reopening of schools in Israel. The army also announced the reopening on Monday, in most of the country, of schools which had been closed for security reasons on Saturday in the face of threats from Iran. A few “restrictions” nevertheless remain in areas near Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, where rocket fire is still frequent. “We are on high alert”underlined Monday on franceinfo Colonel Olivier Rafowicz, spokesperson for the Israeli army.
The G7 affirms its “full support” for the Jewish state. The leaders of the G7 countries said they were ready on Sunday “to take action” against Tehran “in response to new destabilization initiatives”. “We express our solidarity and full support for Israel and its people, and we reaffirm our commitment to their security”they declare in the joint press release released at the end of a videoconference meeting convened by the Italian presidency. “All parties must exercise restraint (…). Ending the crisis in Gaza as quickly as possible, including through an immediate ceasefire, will make the difference.”for his part declared on Charles Michel, President of the European Council.
Israel and Iran accuse each other of destabilization. Representatives of the two countries clashed at the UN on Sunday, each considering the other to be the main threat to peace in the Middle East. “The mask has fallen. Iran, the world’s leading supporter of terrorism, has exposed its true face as a destabilizer of the region and the world”, launched the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, during an emergency meeting of the Security Council. For Tehran, Israel crossed a red line by striking its consulate and the residence of its ambassador in Damascus (Syria) on April 1, killing sixteen people, including two generals of the Islamic regime.