Israel will escalate attacks on Palestinians amid Iran conflict: Rights group
Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has slammed the country’s “extremist and unchecked government” as continuing its crimes against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank amid the new conflict it began with Iran.
“We warn that Israel is likely to exploit the diversion of global attention to escalate its attacks on Palestinians,” B’Tselem wrote in a statement shared on social media.
“While millions in Israel and Iran face missile attacks, most Palestinians within Israel, the West Bank, and Jerusalem are defenseless, with their communities lacking shelters.”
It also noted that Israel’s deadly attacks on Gaza are continuing, while the military has imposed closures on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
“Israel will exploit the current situation to intensify harm to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and everywhere under its control,” the group said.
Israel’s extremist and unchecked government has opened a new front with Iran as its crimes in Gaza and the West Bank continue.
The war Israel has started with Iran is expected to claim countless civilian lives and could lead to bloodshed on a massive scale. We warn that Israel… pic.twitter.com/ZIwvfmT4K2
— B'Tselem בצלם بتسيلم (@btselem) June 14, 2025
Attacking Iran allows Israel to deflect attention away from Gaza
Israel has attacked energy infrastructure: the gas production field, the port in Bandar Abbas … Israel, it seems, has changed the focus of its attacks from degrading Iran’s nuclear capabilities to attacking infrastructure.
You heard Netanyahu earlier calling effectively for regime change, saying he was encouraging Iranians to rise up against the regime.
Israel says the focus of its military activities is now on Iran and not on Gaza. But it also conveniently allows … the focus of attention on what’s happening in Israel to move from Gaza to Iran. Until Israel hit those targets in Iran, it was coming under increasing international scrutiny over the conduct of the war in Gaza.
A lot more vocal criticism was coming from European leaders, coming from Canada, and sanctions were imposed on senior Israeli politicians. This allows Israel to move the focus away from Gaza.
Iranian security official: We are ready for a prolonged war, will increase attacks
A senior Iranian security official has told Al Jazeera that Tehran is readying itself for a prolonged confrontation, and will step up its attacks. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Iran did not start the war, but would determine its end.
The conflict is Netanyahu’s war, the official said, and its outcome would be the destruction of the Israeli regime.
The official said that Iran was defending its people — and that US President Donald Trump needed to decide whether to waste American taxpayers’ money on Netanyahu’s ambitions.
