Israel will stand firm against any threat by Iran and its proxies near and far, including in Beirut and Yemen, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday as the international community scrambled to prevent an all-out Iranian-Israeli war.
“Iran and its minions are looking to surround us in a stranglehold of terrorism. We are determined to stand against them on every front and in every arena – near and far,” Netanyahu said at the state memorial ceremony for Ze’ev Jabotinsky.
“Whoever seeks to harm us will pay a very heavy price,” Netanyahu said, echoing the words that Gallant had uttered hours earlier.
“Our readiness in terms of defense is high, be it on the ground or in the air,” Gallant stated.
“Our long hand strikes in the Gaza Strip, in Yemen, in Beirut, wherever necessary,” Netanyahu stressed.
“This is our hand that will reach out ,when the time comes for peace, to whoever wants to establish peaceful relations with us. I believe that it will be so – because peace is made with the strong, not with the weak,” he stated.
The United States moved a carrier ship to the region in light of the increased threat that followed the twin assassinations of Hezbollah Commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Israel has taken responsibility for Shukr’s killing but not Haniyeh’s. However, Israel is widely believed to be responsible for the latter’s killing, and Tehran has sworn to avenge his death, accusing Israel of crossing all red lines and violating its sovereignty.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said Tehran’s revenge will be “severe and at the appropriate time, place, and manner.”
US readies to defend Israel
The US readied to defend Israel, as it did when Iran attacked overnight on April 13. The US led a coalition of five armies that shot 300 missiles and drones out of the Israeli skies.
The United States “is preparing for every possibility, just as we did in advance of April 13, when Iran attacked Israel, and the United States and a coalition of our partners and allies worked with Israel to defeat that attack,” US National Security Deputy Adviser Jonathan Finer told ABC’s This Week.
“The Pentagon is moving significant assets to the region to prepare for what may be another need to defend Israel from an attack,” he said.
The US is also “working very hard to de-escalate this situation diplomatically,” he added. “Because we do not believe that a regional war is in anyone’s interest in the current moment, and that is something that we’ve been trying to avoid since October 7.”
Finer said that the US, in close “conjunction with our Israeli allies and our partner allies,” is “doing everything possible to make sure that this situation does not boil over, even in the context of providing significant assets, US assets, and the help of other countries to defend Israel, should the need arise again.”
Asked by reporters whether Iran would stand down, US President Joe Biden said on Saturday, in response to a shouted question, “I hope so. I don’t know.”
Netanyahu during a speech he delivered
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) major democracies called on all parties involved in the current conflict in the Middle East to avoid actions that could lead to an escalation, Italy’s foreign minister said on Sunday.During a video conference chaired by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, the G7 ministers expressed “strong concern about the recent events that could lead to a wider regional spread of the crisis, starting with Lebanon,” a statement said.
“We call on the parties concerned to desist from any initiative that could hinder the path of dialogue and moderation and encourage a new escalation.”
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi concluded a rare visit to Iran on Sunday with a plea for an end to the escalation of violence and for the region to be able to live in “peace, security, and stability.”
Safadi’s visit to Iran follows continued diplomatic contacts by the United States and its partners, including France, Britain, Italy, and Egypt.
Iran and Jordan are also seeking to improve their relations following recent tensions related to Amman accusing pro-Iranian militias in Syria of smuggling narcotics into the country and its taking part in the interception of Iran’s first-ever direct attack on Israel last April. Jordan took to the skies along with the armies of the United States, Israel, Great Britain, and France.
Jordan is one of the flight paths for missiles launched at Israel from Iran.
“My visit to Iran is to consult on the serious escalation in the region and to engage in a frank and clear discussion about overcoming the differences between the two countries with honesty and transparency,” Safadi said at a press conference in Tehran alongside his Iranian counterpart.
Safadi condemned the assassination of Haniyeh last Wednesday, calling it “a heinous crime and an escalatory step that constitutes a violation of international law and humanitarian law, and an infringement on state sovereignty. We reject it entirely.”
“We demand effective action to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza, to halt such illegal Israeli measures, and to prevent crimes against the Palestinian people, in order to protect the entire region from the consequences of a regional war that would have a devastating impact on everyone,” he said.
“We want our region to live in peace, security, and stability, and we want the escalation to end.”
The US urged its citizens who wish to leave Lebanon to start making plans immediately, and the British government advised its nationals to “leave now.” Canada warned its citizens to avoid all travel to Israel, saying the regional armed conflict endangered security.
“The security situation can deteriorate further without warning,” the Canadian government said in a travel advisory issued to raise the risk level for travel to Israel.
“If the armed conflict intensifies, it could impact your ability to depart by commercial means. It may result in travel disruptions, including airspace closures, flight cancellations, and diversions,” the travel advisory said.
France has urged its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country due to a risk of military escalation in the Middle East, the foreign ministry said on Sunday in a travel advisory.
The French foreign ministry also reiterated that it advised French citizens against traveling to Lebanon.
On Sunday, Britain said it had withdrawn the families of embassy staff in Beirut due to the volatile security situation in Lebanon and repeated a call for citizens in the country to leave, given the risk of escalation in the Middle East.
“We are deeply concerned with the highly volatile security situation in Lebanon,” a foreign office spokesperson said, saying additional consular officials, border force, and military personnel had been deployed to the region.
“We have also temporarily withdrawn the families of officials working at the British Embassy in Beirut… All British nationals should leave Lebanon now, while commercial routes are still available.”
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