WASHINGTON: The United States said it was working “around the clock” to avert an all-out war in the Middle East, as Israel remained on high alert on Tuesday for potential Iranian retaliation for two high-profile killings in Beirut and Tehran last week.
US President Joe Biden, whose country has bolstered its military presence in the region with additional warships and fighter jets to support Israel, held urgent talks on Monday with his national security team.
Biden and his Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to calm tensions that have escalated since a suspected Israeli attack killed Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, in Tehran last Wednesday.
Biden reached out to King Abdullah II of Jordan, whose country had intercepted Iranian drones and missiles targeting Israel in April. Meanwhile, Blinken contacted key officials in Qatar and Egypt, mediators in seeking a ceasefire in the ongoing 10-month Israeli bombardments in Gaza.
“We are engaged in intense diplomacy, pretty much around the clock, with a very simple message — all parties must refrain from escalation,” Blinken stated after participating in a White House meeting with other top officials.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned Israeli actions as “criminal acts” against “the oppressed and defenceless people of Gaza” and vowed retaliation for Haniyeh’s death. “The Islamic Republic of Iran is in no way seeking to expand the scope of war and crisis in the region, but this regime will definitely receive the response for its crimes and arrogance,” Pezeshkian said during talks with a senior Russian official, as reported by IRNA, Iran’s official news agency.
The attack on Haniyeh came shortly after an Israeli strike on Beirut killed Fuad Shukr, the military chief of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement. Israel held Shukr responsible for a rocket attack in the annexed Golan Heights, declaring him the “right-hand man” of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah is scheduled to deliver a speech on Tuesday to commemorate the one-week anniversary of Shukr’s death.
Hezbollah has engaged in almost daily skirmishes with Israeli forces since October 7. On Tuesday, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for several attacks on Israel, including an attack involving “explosive-laden drones” targeting a military barracks near the coastal town of Acre.
In southern Lebanon, five Hezbollah fighters were killed in an Israeli strike, according to a Lebanese security source. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, during a visit to Cairo, acknowledged the possibility of war between Lebanon and Israel, stating, “We can’t deny that.”
A European diplomat based in Tel Aviv said that a “coordinated response” from Iran and its allies against Israel was anticipated, though de-escalation efforts continue. “That doesn’t mean there will be a simultaneous response from all fronts,” the diplomat told AFP on the condition of anonymity. “We’re telling them they have to stop playing with fire, because the risk of flare-ups is higher than at any time since October 7,” he added.
On Monday, Turkey joined other governments in urging their citizens to leave Lebanon, where Hezbollah is headquartered, while China advised increased caution. Several airlines have either suspended flights to Lebanon or restricted them to daylight hours. Middle East Airlines, Lebanon’s national carrier, has arranged additional flights for those wishing to depart or return, according to a company source.
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The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is set to convene on Wednesday at the request of “Palestine and Iran” to discuss regional developments.
UN rights chief Volker Turk called on “all parties, along with those states with influence, to act urgently to de-escalate what has become a very precarious situation.” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein, in a joint statement on Monday, pledged to make every effort to prevent a regional escalation. Italy currently holds the rotating presidency of the G7 group of nations.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza killing at least at least 39,653 Palestinians, mostly women and children, the territory’s health ministry reported.
In the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials reported that Israeli forces killed eight people in two separate raids on Tuesday.
