Fear of expansion of Gaza war after attack in Iran and killing of Hamas vice president
The bomb attack in Iran took place near the Saheb al-Saman mosque in Kerman, where the grave of General Kassem Soleimani, who was killed by the USA in 2020, is located. Numerous people gathered there on Wednesday on the fourth anniversary of his death.
The Iranian news agency Tasnim reported, citing informed sources, that two bombs in bags had apparently been detonated remotely. The explosive devices apparently detonated about 15 minutes apart. Initially, no one claimed responsibility for the crime.
In July 2023, however, the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence declared that it had dismantled an "espionage organization with links to Israel", according to the official news agency Irna. This organization had planned "terrorist operations", including an explosion at Soleimani's grave.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi declared that there was "no doubt that the perpetrators of this cowardly act will soon be identified and punished". Iran's spiritual leader Ayatollah Khamenei blamed the "evil and criminal enemies of the Iranian nation" and announced a "harsh response".
The leadership in Tehran spoke of a "terrorist act" and declared a nationwide day of mourning for Thursday. A crowd had already gathered at the site of the attack on Wednesday evening, chanting "Death to Israel" and "Death to the USA".
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke of "terrorism", which he condemned "in the strongest terms". Despite its tense relationship with Iran, the EU also condemned the attack as an "act of terrorism" and expressed its "solidarity" with Iran. UN Secretary-General António Guterres also strongly condemned the attack.
Just one day earlier, the number two of the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas had been killed in a suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut. According to a Lebanese security official briefed on the preliminary investigation, al-Aruri and six other Hamas officials were killed by Israeli guided missiles, while other sources spoke of an Israeli drone.
The 57-year-old Hamas deputy chief was considered an important military strategist for the Palestinian organization and one of its leaders in the West Bank. Israel holds him responsible for planning numerous attacks.
Hamas' ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, which in turn is supported by Iran, threatened to retaliate. It sees al-Aruri's "assassination" as a "serious attack on Lebanon" that will not go unpunished. The Lebanese head of government, Nadschib Mikati, spoke of an "Israeli crime" that was intended to drag his country into a "new phase of confrontation".
Israel did not comment on the accusations. Army spokesman Daniel Hagari emphasized that Israel remains "focused on the fight against Hamas", but is also "highly prepared for any scenario".
Since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip three months ago, Hezbollah has also been attacking Israel almost daily from southern Lebanon. The Israeli army is responding to the attacks with increased air strikes in Lebanon and Syria. So far, the fighting has been limited to the border areas in southern Lebanon. However, there is now growing international concern that the war could spread to Lebanon following the first attack on the Lebanese capital since the war began.
The UN peacekeeping force Unifil in Lebanon feared "devastating consequences" of a possible escalation between Israel and Hezbollah on Wednesday. The crisis unit met in Berlin. "An escalation on the border between Israel and Lebanon cannot be ruled out," the Federal Foreign Office stated in the online service X. It called on all German citizens remaining in Lebanon despite the travel warning to "leave the country as quickly as possible".
On October 7, hundreds of Hamas fighters attacked Israel in an unprecedented attack. Around 1140 people were killed and around 250 others were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. Since then, Israel has been attacking targets in the Gaza Strip in a massive military campaign and has already killed more than 22,300 people, according to Palestinian figures.
On Wednesday, the army continued its attacks, including in the southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt. Meanwhile, the head of the Israeli secret service Mossad, David Barnea, reiterated his country's threat to "settle accounts" with all planners and masterminds of the attack on October 7.
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The bomb attack in Iran was linked to Hamas, as the vice president of Hamas' political bureau, Husam al-Aruri, was killed in a bomb attack in a suburb of Beirut the day before.
Before the attack in Iran, tensions between Israel and Hamas had been escalating in the Gaza Strip, resulting in a war that has claimed over 22,000 lives since October 7.
The USA was not involved in the bomb attack in Iran, but it has a history of conflict with both Iran and Hamas.
Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group supported by Iran, threatened retaliation for al-Aruri's death, seeing it as a "serious attack on Lebanon".
The USA, EU, and UN all condemned the bomb attack in Iran as an act of terrorism.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also condemned the attack, but avoided directly blaming any specific group.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi vowed to identify and punish the perpetrators of the bomb attack in Iran.
The bomb attack in Iran took place near the Saheb al-Saman mosque, where the grave of General Kassem Soleimani is located.
Soleimani was a prominent figure in the Iranian military and was killed by the USA in 2020.
The USA has a longstanding rivalry with Iran and has been accused of carrying out attacks on Iranian soil in the past.
Hamas has a history of carrying out terrorist attacks against Israeli targets and is considered a terrorist group by many countries, including the USA.
The bomb attack in Iran and the death of al-Aruri have increased fears of a wider conflict involving Israel, Hamas, and Hezbollah.
The international community is urging all parties to avoid further escalation and work towards a peaceful resolution to the conflicts in the region.
Source: www.stern.de
