Israel-Hamas war and the Middle East, today’s news April 19th

Iran takes aim and aims, for now in words, at the military heart of Israel in an upward game that risks plunging the Middle East into an uncontrollable spiral despite the rain of sanctions from the United States, Great Britain and the European Union which tries to reduce the regime of the ayatollahs to more lenient advice. «The location of the nuclear centers of the Zionist enemy has been defined and we have at our disposal the necessary information on all targets. In response to any hypothetical action they may undertake, we will be ready to launch powerful missiles to destroy these targets”: the warning came from General Ahmad Haqtalab, commander of the Pasdaran’s nuclear defense and security unit, together with the threat to “reconsider » Tehran’s nuclear policy if «Israel threatens Iranian nuclear facilities».

Later, at the UN Security Council, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian got straight to the point: «In the event of further attacks by the Israeli regime, Iran would not hesitate even for a moment in a response that makes it regret his actions.” Bowls stopped for now therefore, but shooting positions ready, awaiting the announced Israeli counterattack which, according to American sources, should not take place before the end of the Jewish Passover, which begins on April 22nd and ends on the 29th. And on which they cross paths underground diplomacy and appeals for prudence. After the rumors according to which the White House gave Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu the green light for an operation in Rafah in exchange for renouncing to strike Iran in retaliation for last weekend’s attack and the related denials, certainly the announcement of new sanctions against Tehran has arrived.

In the crosshairs are the deadly drones used against Israel and which Iran also supplies to Russia to attack Ukraine. More precisely, the USA and Great Britain, in a joint initiative, have identified 16 individuals and some companies that allow their production through components and engines that power the Shahed variants. Options for other sanctions are also being examined, according to US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. The European Council meeting in Brussels also focused on the production of drones. “The idea is to hit the companies that are used for drones and missiles,” said President Charles Michel, while a united stance also came from the G7 of Foreign Ministers in Capri. “We are in favor of the possibility of imposing sanctions on Iran for the attack on Israel,” said Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, specifying that the G7 “invites everyone to be cautious” and reiterating that “we are friends of Israel, we support it but we want a de-escalation in that area.”

Also from Capri, British sources were keen to point out that the telephone line with Tehran “must remain open, because we must continue to dialogue”. The Islamic Republic, through the embassy in London, had sent a message to the G7 asking them not to adopt “non-constructive measures”. In a sort of calculated equidistance to reaffirm his skills as a great mediator, Turkish President Recepp Tayyip Erdogan intervened, calling from Ankara for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and a two-state solution, underlining that if «Western countries can react with one voice against Iran’s retaliation, the same actors must now say enough to Israel, with one voice.” Supporting him is his Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan who from Doha, after a meeting with the head of the Hamas political office Ismail Hanyeh, reiterated the organization’s willingness to lay down its arms in the event that a Palestinian state is recognized within the borders of 1967. Exactly on the day in which the United Nations Security Council voted on a resolution proposed by Algeria on behalf of the Arab countries for the full admission of Palestine. An important count among the members of the most important body of the UN but which clashed with the veto of the United States. From the UN Headquarters, once again, Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned of the risk of a regional conflict and reiterated that the Israeli offensive in Gaza has created a “hellish landscape” in which, Hamas said, no one has been killed until now. 33,970 people.

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