War escalates with Israeli attacks on Iran, after retaliation

Iran’s air defense systems were fired on in several parts of the country on Friday morning (19), following reports of explosions near the airport and an army air base in the central province of Isfahan, amid to rising tensions with Israel, according to state media.

This Friday, there were also reports of explosions in Iraq and Syria. The news came hours after US media reported that senior US officials said Israeli missiles had struck Iranian territory.

Air defense systems over the city of Tabriz in the northwestern part of Iran were also activated.

Flights were suspended in several regions, including the capital Tehran and Isfahan. But about four hours later they resumed and there were no reports of casualties.

Syrian state news agency SANA said that at approximately 2:55 a.m. on Friday, the “Israeli enemy launched a missile aggression.” Israel targeted “Syrian air defense sites in the southern region. The aggression resulted in material losses,” he said.

This escalation comes less than a week after Iran launched more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel in response to an Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy compound in Syria on April 1, which killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. of Iran (IRGC).

Isfahan is home to the country’s uranium conversion facility. Additionally, the Natanz uranium enrichment facility is also located in the province. Isfahan is also home to a major Iranian air base that houses Iran’s former fleet of US-made F-14 Tomcats, which were acquired before the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Brazilians in Iran

Brazil’s ambassador to Iran, Eduardo Gradilone Neto, stated that he has been in constant contact with Brazilians residing in the country since Israel’s attack on the night of Thursday, April 18, 2024. Amid the tense situation, the body Brazilian diplomat advises Brazilian citizens to stock up on water and food, although he assesses the impact of the offensive on the population as “very low”.

“Brazilians are being informed. And we are evaluating. Yesterday [quarta-feira, 17 de abril] our Defense Attaché warned us about the possibilities of attacks in these places. It is now time to see what the damage was,” declared Gradilone.

The ambassador highlighted the importance of monitoring the situation and being prepared for possible developments. The safety and well-being of the Brazilian community are priorities for the Brazilian diplomatic team in Iran.

Israel’s attack on the region has increased concern among foreigners residing in the country. Close monitoring by the embassy aims to ensure that Brazilians are properly informed and prepared for eventualities arising from the current situation.

Doubts

Iranian media, citing Iranian officials, were downplaying the incident. Unconfirmed Iranian media reports have suggested that the attacks were potentially launched using small quadcopters – essentially unmanned, autonomously operated helicopters.

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack and the military has not commented.

US broadcasters quoted US officials as saying that Israeli missiles had hit Iran. According to a CNN report, the US was notified in advance of the attack, but “did not give the green light”.

At a press conference, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the US government told the G7 group of nations that it was informed “at the last minute” by Israel about the attack “but there was no sharing of the attack by the US. It was mere information.”

According to some analysts, regardless of the extent of the damage, the alleged attack sends a message to Iran about the vulnerability of its security. In a way, Israel uses the attack to map targets, something that Iran also did on Israeli territory. It also shows that it is capable of reaching targets in the center of the country.

The attack in Iran revealed divisions within Israel. Far-right security minister Itamar Ben-Givr suggested in a social media post that the alleged attack was weak and should be a harsh military response following the retaliatory strike on April 13.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid fired back. “Never before has a minister caused such grave damage to the country’s security, its image and its international status,” Lapid wrote in X. “In an unforgivable one-word tweet, Ben-Gvir managed to mock and shame Israel from Tehran to Washington “, he said.

^{Image compares population, active and reserve personnel, GDP and military budget between the two countries}

The background

Israel and Iran are long-time rivals in the region. The attack in Damascus is not where the escalation began. For months, Iran has been losing its military leadership in several attacks in different countries. Iran, in turn, has maintained constant pressure on Israel through its allies, especially Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Fears of a full-scale regional war increased in early April when Iran accused Israel of bombing its diplomatic mission in Damascus, Syria and retaliated on April 13 with more than 300 missiles and drones hitting Israel for the first time. .

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian warned that Iran would not hesitate to give “a decisive and appropriate response to [Israel]” in case of attack. However, this Friday, when an Iranian commander was asked in the media whether the attack would provoke a response, he said: “You have already seen Iran’s response.”

International repercussion

From Germany and Russia to Japan and Egypt, countries around the world have called for “de-escalation” following the alleged Israeli attack on Iran.

In the region, Oman said it condemned “the Israeli attack” while denouncing “Israel’s repeated military attacks in the region,” a statement said.

Egypt said it was “deeply concerned” about the escalation of hostilities between the two countries.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Israeli-Iranian retaliations must end, warning against the danger of regional escalation.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called for caution to avoid further intensification of the conflict in the Middle East.

In China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said China “took note of the relevant reports and opposes any actions that further increase tensions.”

In Russia, the Kremlin said it was examining reports of Israel’s alleged attack and called on both parties to exercise restraint.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said: “Japan is deeply concerned about the situation in the Middle East and strongly condemns any actions that lead to the escalation of the situation.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the US did not participate in any offensive operations.

In Capri, Italy, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said G7 nations were committed to working towards “de-escalation” in the region.

German airline Lufthansa said it has suspended its flights to Tel Aviv until Saturday morning and will avoid flying through Iraqi airspace due to the security situation in the region.