Concerns about increased tensions in the Middle East

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.