what to remember from Friday April 12

“Dozens” of rockets were launched on Friday at Israeli positions by Hezbollah, at the time of an escalation between Israel and Iran.

The war continues in the Gaza Strip, and even tends to relocate. Lebanese Hezbollah, supported by Iran, announced on Friday April 12 that it had launched “dozens of rockets” on Israeli positions, shots confirmed by the Jewish state. Israel remains on alert after threats of retaliation from Iran. The European Union also announced that it had sanctioned the military branches of Hamas and Islamic Jihad for sexual violence during the October 7 attack. Franceinfo takes stock of the main information relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hezbollah announces having launched “dozens” of rockets at Israeli positions

Lebanese Hezbollah, supported by Iran, announced Friday that it had launched “dozens of rockets” on Israeli positions, in response, according to him, to Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon. This announcement comes against a backdrop of fears of a response from Iran against Israel, accused of a strike against the Iranian consulate in Damascus which, according to an NGO, left 16 dead, including two generals of the Revolutionary Guards, the army ideological of Iran. The Islamist movement that it was “a response to enemy attacks against (…) southern villages and civilian homes”.

The Israeli army, for its part, confirmed that“around 40 shots were detected coming from Lebanese territory, some of which were intercepted”. “No injuries were reported.”the army said, adding that it had previously intercepted two “Hezbollah explosive drones”. The official Lebanese news agency ANI also reported Israeli shelling and strikes on several Lebanese border villages on Friday.

Israel on alert after threats from Iran

After Joe Biden’s announcement on Wednesday that Iran “threatens to launch a major attack against Israel”, an American general in charge of the Middle East, Michael Erik Kurilla, is now in Israel. THE “level of preparation for an Iranian attack on Israel” was discussed Thursday by American Defense Ministers Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Ministers Yoav Gallant, according to an official Israeli statement.

Joe Biden confirmed Friday that he expected Iran to take action soon, in response to a question about Iranian threats of retaliation against Israel. “I don’t want to give away confidential information, but I expect it will be soon”declared the American president, who also responded to a question on the message he wanted to send to Tehran: “Don’t do it !”

United States have also restricted the movements in Israel of their diplomatic personnel. For his part, thehe Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné, recommended “the French must absolutely refrain from surrendering in the coming days in Iran, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories. The day before, Berlin’s concern was materialized by the suspension of flights by the airline Lufthansa to and from Tehran.

Israeli army carries out new deadly raids in the Gaza Strip

While the mediators – Qatar, Egypt, United States – await responses from Israel and Hamas to their latest truce proposal, the Hebrew State’s offensive knows no respite in the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas press office, the Israeli army destroyed dozens of houses and residential buildings using explosives in the Nusseirat refugee camp overnight from Thursday to Friday. Israeli forces also carried out dozens of air raids on several areas of the central Gaza Strip, including Nusseirat, he said.

The Israeli army, for its part, reported strikes against “more than 60 terrorist targets” in the Gaza Strip, including underground posts and military infrastructure.

She also announced that a new crossing point had opened with the north of the Gaza Strip, welcoming the first trucks of humanitarian aid to improve access to Palestinian civilians trapped in the fighting. For months, humanitarian organizations and foreign chancelleries have been urging the country to open direct supply routes to the northern Gaza Strip, where the humanitarian crisis is most acute.

EU sanctions Hamas for sexual violence

The European Union announced Friday that it had sanctioned the military branches of Hamas and Islamic Jihad for sexual violence during the October 7 attack on Israel. Fighters from the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, the Nukhba unit of Hamas and the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, “committed widespread sexual and gender-based violence, in a systematic manner, using it as a weapon of war”informs the EU.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad are already on the list of “terrorist organizations” designated by the EU. The three Palestinian entities were added to the European Union’s human rights sanctions list, which affects 104 individuals and 26 organizations from different countries. The decision to impose these sanctions is part of an agreement between EU countries also providing for sanctions against Israeli settlers in the West Bank, accused of violence against Palestinians.