Iran will attack Israel sooner, rather than later, US President Joe Biden said on Friday. He warned Tehran not to attack the country as the US was devoted to its defense. Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs has advised Indians to not visit Iran and Israel “in view of the prevailing situation in the region”.
Iran has vowed to avenge an alleged Israeli attack on its embassy in Damascus last week that killed seven of its elite military officers, including two generals.
Here are 10 points on Israel-Iran tension:
- Joe Biden gave a one-word message to Iran over its alleged plan to attack Israel — ‘Don’t’. He said the US would help defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Speaking to reporters at the White House after an event. Biden said he didn’t want to divulge secret information but he expected an attack “sooner, rather than later”.
- Before Biden’s remarks, White House spokesperson John Kirby had called apprehensions of Iran’s attack on Israel a “real and viable threat”. However, he refrained from giving a timeline. The United States was not anticipating Iran or its proxies to attack its forces, he said, adding the country was still looking at its posture in the region. “It would be imprudent if we didn’t take a look at our posture in the region to make sure that we’re properly prepared,” he added.
- Apart from India, France, Poland and Russia have also warned their citizens against travelling to the region. Germany’s foreign office said in an advisory that there was a risk of a sudden escalation. It said German citizens run a risk of being arrested and interrogated. “German citizens are at concrete risk of being arbitrarily arrested and interrogated and being given long prison sentences. Dual citizens with Iranian and German nationality are especially at risk,” the country said.
- India’s MEA said “all Indians are advised not to travel to Iran or Israel till further notice”. “All those who are currently residing in Iran or Israel are requested to get in touch with Indian Embassies there and register themselves. They are also requested to observe utmost precautions about their safety and restrict their movements to the minimum,” it added.
- Around 4000 Indians live in Iran. In Israel, 18500 Indians expats reside. PTI reported that New Delhi is preparing for various contingencies, including possible evacuation of the Indians from the two countries.
- People familiar with the latest developments said no more Indians will be allowed to go to Israel to work in the construction sector. The first batch of 64 Indian workers had left for Israel earlier this month and over 6,000 construction workers from India were to leave for Israel in April and May.
- Meanwhile, Iran-backed Lebanese militia, Hezbollah, fired several missiles towards northern Israel on Friday. The projectiles were intercepted by Israel’s defence systems. Per Israel, 40 rockets were fired from Lebanon.
- Senior Israel military officer Daniel Hagari said on Friday that the country was capable of handling each threat individually. “Our defense is ready, and knows how to handle each threat individually. We are also ready for attack, with a variety of capabilities, to protect the citizens of Israel,” he said. He accused Iran of escalating the situation in the Middle East.
- Hagari said Israel is ready to deal with the Iranian threat. “We’ve been acting against them [all] since the start of the war,” he said. “Iran is escalating, pushing for regional escalation. We’ll know how to deal with the Iranian threat. We are well-prepared and will know how to respond to anything,” he said.
- On Friday, German airline Lufthansa said its planes would not use Iranian airspace amid the tension “Due to the current situation, Lufthansa is suspending its flights to and from Tehran up to and including Thursday, 18 April. The airline is also no longer using Iranian airspace,” it said. Source
