With the escalation of tension between and on the occasion of the Israeli strikes in Beirut and the missiles that followed, the lines of conflict, disagreements and convergences between – Iran – Israel – come to the fore again. The regional war that has plunged the Middle East and international politics and economics into chaos since February is dramatically back on an escalation trajectory with all sides awaiting a US response to the re-emerging issues
Iran’s moves after the strikes against Israel
In this context, and while tension is returning throughout the Middle East due to the developments of the last few hours, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, proceeded with a series of contacts with his counterparts from Britain and Turkey, as well as with Pakistani mediators. In addition, he had communication with his French counterpart, but also with Qatar.
According to a statement from his ministry, the separate talks focused on Iran’s response to Israel’s repeated violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon, without giving further details. The Iranian Foreign Ministry reiterated Tehran’s position that the ceasefire in Lebanon is inextricably linked to the cease-fire agreement reached in April between Iran and the United States.
At the same time, he warned that any new Israeli action against Iran or Lebanon would provoke an “overwhelming response”, further escalating the rhetoric following the Israeli strikes on Beirut and the Iranian missile attack on Israel. Later, as announced, the Iranian authorities began to take measures for a possible Israeli attack, closing its airspace in the west of the country and Tehran’s Imam Khomeini airport.
According to reports, there was also a round of contacts between the leaderships of the Gulf countries separately, with the participation of Saudi Arabia.
The Trump intervention and the phone call
For his part, US President Donald Trump appeared to be trying to call and pressure both sides to show restraint. More specifically, he said that no one was injured by Iran’s strikes and that “Israel should not respond because if it responds then, this will continue as it has been for the last 47 years or the last 3000 years”.
As he added: “We are very close to a final agreement and I don’t want it to fall apart because of what is happening now.” Among other things, Trump said in his statements that he will immediately call Benjamin Netanyahu to tell him to stop, while regarding the strike in Beirut he made it clear that he is not at all happy about it and that Iran should return to the negotiating table.
Indeed, a little later, according to reports in American and Israeli media, the US president called the Prime Minister of Israel, with this call lasting a long time, without its content being immediately known, and the first information about it being contradictory and confusing.
Harsh statements from Israel and mood for escalation
However, during the phone call, meetings were held in Israel about what was going to happen next. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said during a meeting with top military leadership that “the IDF will strike the enemy with force once the green light is given,” according to statements released by the military.
The Israeli Defense Forces are preparing for a response against Iran following today’s missile attack on Israel, but are awaiting the approval of the political leadership.
For his part, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Effie Defrin said Iran committed a “serious mistake” by attacking the country. Defrin said the chief of the Israeli army’s general staff was assessing the strikes and “approving plans for the next course of action.” “The Israel Defense Forces will continue to operate throughout Lebanon. We are prepared for the possibility of additional attacks,” he said.
After the end of the Trump-Netanyahu phone call, the latter convened Israel’s security council and, according to reports in the Israeli media, is having discussions with the heads of the security services.
In this timeframe, the Israeli side also announced that it was closing all Gaza border crossings in response to Iran’s attack. This move demonstrates a desire for escalation on the part of Tel Aviv, as it is noted that it is assumed that the Peace Council created by Donald Trump now has a say in the Strip.
How we got to scaling
Although all sides are supposed to be essentially bound by a truce since April, and while Israel is essentially in talks with Lebanon, the attacks and tension in southern Lebanon have never stopped. This very issue, Lebanon has remained, essentially like Gaza, in a peculiar state of truce for months, and the result of the recent escalation in the field brought this particular result.
In any case, as all sides note, the next few hours into the morning are seen as extremely critical in terms of where the conflict ultimately heads.
