Categories: World News

Middle East braces for wider conflict as Israel and Iran trade threats – POLITICO


Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon-based Hezbollah since 1992, was killed in a massive Israeli airstrike on Friday.

In the same airstrikes, the Israeli army also killed Abbas Nilforoushan, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s deputy commander in Beirut. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday threatened retaliation, saying “this horrible crime committed by the Zionist regime [Israel] will not go unanswered,” Reuters reported.

While Israel continued its airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that another Hezbollah leader, Nabil Qaouk, had been killed in a bombing on Saturday.

Western leaders have repeatedly called for a cease-fire and are now bracing for the worst.

“The region is seriously risking a full-blown war,” European Union chief diplomat Josep Borrell said Saturday as he called for an immediate cease-fire.

While welcoming the killing of Nasrallah as “a measure of justice,” United States President Joe Biden on Saturday said he asked the Pentagon “to further enhance the defense posture of U.S. military forces in the Middle East region to deter aggression and reduce the risk of a broader regional war.” Biden told confidantes and allies in private last week that he did not believe that the Israeli leader wanted a halt to hostilities with Hezbollah.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Sunday afternoon flew to Lebanon to meet with local authorities and to reaffirm French support for the Lebanese people, including via humanitarian aid, his office said. French President Emmanuel Macron last week warned that “Lebanon should not become the new Gaza.”

At the same time, Israel is on “high alert” for possible retaliation after killing Nasrallah. On Sunday,  Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf reportedly said that militant groups in the Middle East, including Hezbollah, “will not hesitate to go to any level” to fight against Israel.

pl_facebook_pixel_args = [];
pl_facebook_pixel_args.userAgent = navigator.userAgent;
pl_facebook_pixel_args.language = navigator.language;

if ( document.referrer.indexOf( document.domain ) < 0 ) {
pl_facebook_pixel_args.referrer = document.referrer;
}

!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';
n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',
'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js');

fbq( 'consent', 'revoke' );
fbq( 'init', "394368290733607" );
fbq( 'track', 'PageView', pl_facebook_pixel_args );

if ( typeof window.__tcfapi !== 'undefined' ) {
window.__tcfapi( 'addEventListener', 2, function( tcData, listenerSuccess ) {
if ( listenerSuccess ) {
if ( tcData.eventStatus === 'useractioncomplete' || tcData.eventStatus === 'tcloaded' ) {

__tcfapi( 'getCustomVendorConsents', 2, function( vendorConsents, success ) {
if ( ! vendorConsents.hasOwnProperty( 'consentedPurposes' ) ) {
return;
}

const consents = vendorConsents.consentedPurposes.filter(
function( vendorConsents ) {
return 'Create profiles for personalised advertising' === vendorConsents.name;
}
);

if ( consents.length === 1 ) {
fbq( 'consent', 'grant' );
}
} );
}
}
});
}



Source link

Recent Posts

What will Trump’s presidency mean for Israel, Palestinians and Middle East? | TV Shows

Pro-Israeli policies featured heavily in the US president-elect’s previous White House term.Donald Trump’s win is being celebrated by Israel’s government… Read More

3 hours ago

At least 40 killed in Israeli strikes on eastern Lebanon | Israel attacks Lebanon News

At least 40 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes in eastern Lebanon, including the main city of Baalbek,… Read More

10 hours ago

Ruling German government coalition collapses after chancellor Scholz fires finance minister – video | Olaf Scholz

Germany's ruling coalition collapsed after the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, sacked his finance minister and paved the way for a snap… Read More

14 hours ago

Photos: Hurricane Rafael batters Cuba, plunging the island into a blackout | Weather

Less than a month after Hurricane Milton churned over the island of Cuba, the country has been struck by yet… Read More

17 hours ago

Scholz sets stage for German snap election in March as government collapses – POLITICO

Crisis talks in the coalition of Scholz’s Social Democratic Party, the Greens and Lindner’s Free Democratic Party came to a… Read More

1 day ago

What’s international reaction to Trump’s return to the US presidency? | Donald Trump News

The Middle East, China, Ukraine, NATO and economic policy are key areas of concern.Donald Trump’s election victory was driven by… Read More

1 day ago

This website uses cookies.