War in the Middle East - Concerns about increased tensions in the Middle East
The devastating explosions in Iran and the killing of a leader of the Islamist Hamas in Lebanon have further increased the dangerous tensions in the Middle East. After the attack on the anniversary of the death of General Ghassem Soleimani, Iran's leadership spoke of a terrorist attack.
Initially, no one claimed responsibility for the attack. There was no reason to assume that Israel was involved, said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. The USA had nothing to do with it either. The attack, which left around 100 dead, occurred at a time when Iran's arch-enemy Israel is waging war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and is confronted with Iranian-backed militias such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Hezbollah chief warns Israel
Following the killing of Saleh al-Aruri, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, in an explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut, the head of Hezbollah warned Israel against an escalation of the conflict with Lebanon. "The assassination of al-Aruri is a dangerous crime that will not remain without reaction and punishment," said Hassan Nasrallah in a speech on Wednesday. "If the enemy starts a war against Lebanon, we will no longer abide by any rules," Nasrallah said. However, he did not issue a direct threat against Israel or even a declaration of war.
In his speech, Nasrallah merely said: "We are not afraid of war and we do not hesitate." Israel had not accepted responsibility for the killing of Al-Aruri. However, the Hamas leader had been on Israel's "hit list" for some time. Israel assumes that he was involved in the planning of the devastating terrorist attack on October 7 in the Israeli border area, which triggered the Gaza war. Al-Aruri had also established closer Hamas ties with Hezbollah and Iran.
Lebanon: Do not want to be drawn into a war
The killing of Al-Aruri has now brought the Gaza war to Beirut. The government there is trying to prevent the conflict from escalating: "We are very concerned, the Lebanese do not want to be dragged into it, even Hezbollah does not want to be dragged into a regional war," said Minister Bou Habib. He called on Western states to "put pressure on Israel to stop all its violence and all its actions, not only in Lebanon, not only in Beirut, but also in Gaza".
Federal Foreign Office calls for rapid departure from Lebanon
Due to the tense situation on the Israeli-Lebanese border, the Federal Foreign Office has called on German citizens to leave Lebanon as quickly as possible. Germans who are still in the country should register on the Elefand crisis preparedness list and leave the country "as quickly as possible", the Federal Foreign Office wrote on the platform X, formerly Twitter. "An escalation on the border between Israel and Lebanon cannot be ruled out," it said after a meeting of the crisis unit.
Expert: Iran has no interest in confrontation
"It is now very important that Hezbollah restores its deterrent capability, taking into account the local circumstances: the Lebanese do not want to be dragged into a war," Anthony Samrani, editor-in-chief of the Lebanese newspaper "L'Orient-Le Jour", told the foreign television station France 24. The Shiite Hezbollah does not even have the means for an all-out conflict with Israel, "especially in view of the strong US presence in the region".
Neither Hezbollah nor its biggest supporter, Iran, are prepared to take major retaliatory measures, political analyst Makram Rabah told the German Press Agency. "Since the beginning of the conflict, it has been clear that Iran has no interest in an all-out confrontation," he said. Following the devastating explosions in Iran on Wednesday, the "Wall Street Journal" newspaper pointed out that Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi announced a decisive response in a brief statement on Platform X, but did not blame anyone for the attack.
"With God's permission, the hand of divine vengeance will appear at the right time and in the right place," wrote Raisi. The aim of the attack was apparently to further inflame tensions between Israel and Iran at a time of heightened sensitivity between the two sides following the assassination of Hamas leader Al-Aruri, the Wall Street Journal wrote, citing unnamed people familiar with Israel's actions.
What will be important today
After the explosions in Iran, the search for the perpetrators continues. Meanwhile, the fighting in the Gaza Strip continues and the situation for civilians remains catastrophic.
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- The United States Department of State had initially stated that they had no involvement in the explosion that killed Saleh al-Aruri, a high-ranking Hamas leader in Lebanon.
- Matthew Miller, the US State Department spokesperson, explicitly denied any involvement of the United States in the attack, but suggested that Israel might be involved due to the ongoing tensions with Hamas in the Palestinian territories.
- Following the assassination of Al-Aruri, the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, issued a warning to Israel against escalating the conflict with Lebanon, accusing the crime as a 'dangerous' act that would not go unpunished.
- Despite Israel's denial of responsibility, Al-Aruri had been on their 'hit list' due to his involvement in planning a devastating terrorist attack in the Israeli border area, which triggered the Gaza war and his growing ties with Hezbollah and Iran.
- The government of Lebanon expressed their concern before the escalation of the conflict, even urging Western states to pressure Israel to stop all their actions, not only in Lebanon but also in Gaza.
- The Federal Foreign Office urged Germans to leave Lebanon as soon as possible due to the tense situation on the Israeli-Lebanese border, as an escalation cannot be ruled out.
- The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi announced a decisive response to the explosions in Iran, without assigning blame, as the aim was apparently to heighten tensions between Israel and Iran following the death of Hamas leader Al-Aruri.
- Despite the escalating conflicts in the Middle East, political analyst Makram Rabah asserted that neither Hezbollah nor Iran have an interest in an all-out confrontation with Israel.
- Following the incident, Lebanese newspaper "L'Orient-Le Jour" editor-in-chief Anthony Samrani called for Hezbollah to restore its deterrent capability, taking into account the local circumstances and the strong US presence in the region.
- The devastating explosions in Iran led to a significant increase in tensions between Israel and Iran, with Matthew Miller denying any US involvement and Hassan Nasrallah issuing a warning against Israel and urging a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
- The Middle East has once again become a hotbed of conflicts, with Iran, Israel, Hamas, and Hezbollah all in the mix, raising concerns among global powers about the escalation of tensions in the region.
Source: www.stern.de
