Never ending negotiations continue, sort of
Where do the Gaza ceasefire negotiations stand?
- Hamas said on Saturday it had delivered its response to the latest proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange deal.
- The group did not explicitly reject the draft deal but reiterated its longstanding demands for a permanent ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, which Israeli officials have repeatedly opposed.
- Hamas has demanded a “clear written commitment” that Israel would withdraw from the Gaza Strip during the second of a three-phase ceasefire deal, with an unnamed official telling Reuters: “We confirm our readiness to reach a deal regarding a serious exchange of prisoners between the two sides.”
- Israeli PM Netanyahu, who insists on launching a ground invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza, accused Hamas on Saturday of being the “only obstacle” to the deal.
- Earlier today, Israel’s Mossad spy agency said in a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office that Hamas had rejected the proposal and said Israel would continue to work to achieve the objectives of the war against Hamas with full force.
It all did seem well choreographed, attack and defense
Iran says it informed US attack on Israel would be ‘limited’
Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister, just spoke in a meeting with foreign ambassadors in Tehran. Here is what he said:
- We informed the US our operation against Israel will be “limited” and for self-defence.
- We don’t seek to expand conflict in the region.
- We have informed the US we’ll target its bases if Iran is targeted.
- About 72 hours prior to the operation, we informed our neighbours and countries in the region that Iran’s response, as part of a legitimate defence, was certain and definitive.
- The security of neighbouring countries is top of Iran’s priorities.
Iran provided ‘an off-ramp to pause escalation’
Analysts suggest Iran’s slow-moving drone attack was calibrated to represent a show of power but also allow some time for defensive measures.
“It appears that Iran telegraphed its attack on Israel to demonstrate it can strike using different capabilities, to complicate the [Israeli army’s] ability to neutralise the assault, but also to provide an off-ramp to pause escalation,” said Nishank Motwani, senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Washington, DC.
“Tehran can escalate if it chooses to across a range of vectors,” said Motwani, including via Lebanon’s armed group Hezbollah, sea attacks, “or hitting soft Israeli targets globally”.
Everyone can claim victory, Iran showed their strength, the West can 'tut tut' Iran while showing their support for Israel.
UK PM says British jets shot down Iranian drones
Rishi Sunak says British fighter jets downed drones launched by Iran in its attack on Israel. “I can confirm that our planes did shoot down a number of Iranian attack drones,” the UK prime minister said.
70 Iranian drones taken out by US naval forces in the Mediterranean: Report
US naval forces shot down about 70 Iranian attack drones launched towards Israel, US broadcaster ABC News reports. One unnamed official said a US Navy destroyer in the Eastern Mediterranean also downed an undetermined number of ballistic missiles fired by Iran.
Other than US military assistance, Israel says, France also helped during the attack, and Jordan said it took out projectiles fired over its airspace.
Now pat yourself on the back and let it rest before things get much worse still.
Latest reactions to Iran attack on Israel
- “We condemn Iran’s overnight escalation, call for restraint, and are monitoring developments closely. It is vital that the conflict in the Middle East does not spiral out of control,” NATO’s spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah said.
- German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Israel has showed that it is strong and could defend itself. “Iran is isolated with its aggressive behaviour with which it wants to destabilise an entire region,” she said.
- Pope Francis made an “urgent appeal” against a “spiral of violence” that risks “dragging the Middle East into an even greater conflict”.
- Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said: “We strongly condemn Iran’s reckless and dangerous attacks on Israel … Israel’s security must not be further jeopardised and it is very important to prevent regional escalation."
Iran Foreign Ministry summons UK, France, Germany ambassadors
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the ambassadors from the United Kingdom, France and Germany after the countries condemned Tehran for its unprecedented attack against Israel.
The director for Western Europe at the ministry accused the three countries of “double standards” as they opposed earlier this month a Russian-drafted UN Security Council statement that would have condemned Israel’s attack on Iran’s embassy compound in Syria.
Iran condemned Western members of the UNSC for failing to denounce Israel’s attack on its consulate in Syria on April 1, which killed seven members of its IRGC, including two senior generals.
Over the last two weeks, Iranian authorities repeatedly pledged to “punish” Israel after the death of IRGC officers – including two generals of the Quds Force – in the attack that levelled the Iranian consulate in Syria.
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