Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Carefully watching that the Sunni Muslims are largely silent on the escalating war between Israel and Shia Iran—some Sunnis even celebrated the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and other Iranian proxies—the G-7 group on Wednesday supported the Jewish nation while US President Joe Biden urged it to be “proportionate.”
As of now, the war is unlikely to engulf the tightly controlled Sunni kingdoms of the Middle East—Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Kuwait, etc—and remains confined to the two arch-rivals. Iran, and its allies Iraq, Syria, Hezbollah-run Lebanon, and Houthi-controlled Yemen are on the other side of the divide, with direct or indirect support from Turkey, Pakistan, Russia, and China.
As Israel ‘planned’ to hit Iran’s nuclear and oil refining facilities—aiming to cripple or even overthrow the Shiaite Ayatollah regime—Biden said the US was against Israel striking at key Iranian facilities and cautioned it that its response to Iranian missile attacks should be “proportionate,” the media reported on Thursday.
Amid reports that Israel was planning to attack Iran’s nuclear and oil facilities—and similar Iranian counter-threats to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait—President Biden discussed with the G-7 leaders on Wednesday the possibility of clamping fresh sanctions on Tehran.
Reacting to reports on Israel’s plan to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities and oil rigs in response to Tuesday’s attacks on the Jewish nation, President Biden said that Tel Aviv had a right to defend itself, but it should do so “proportionately,” The Times of Israel reported.
Following the virtual emergency G-7 meeting, invited by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the White House said Biden coordinated the multilateral rollout of the new sanctions against Iran. The G-7 leaders “unequivocally condemned Iran’s attack against Israel,” which marked a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East, the reports said.
Biden said more sanctions would be imposed on Iran over Tuesday’s missile attacks on Israel and that he would speak soon with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. When asked for a response over Israel planning to hit Iran’s nuclear and oil sites, Biden said, “The answer is no.”
According to reports, Israel’s expected response would be more severe than when Iran launched missiles and drones at the Jewish nation in April, suggesting that it could target Tehran’s nuclear or oil facilities this time. Some experts said the US should moderate Israel’s response to avoid an all-out regional war in the Middle East.
Biden said he would speak to Israel over its plans to strike Iran while asserting that Tehran has gone “way off course.” He said, “We’ll be discussing with the Israelis what they’re going to do, but all seven of us (G-7 nations) agree that they have a right to respond but they should respond “proportionally.”
Meanwhile, Israel informed the US it was still finalizing targets and timing for a response to Iran’s missile attacks, the media said.
Iran’s missile attack against Israel and Israeli offensive on Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthi in Yemen have further escalated tensions in the Middle East, where the Biden administration has been rushing to broker a ceasefire deal.
According to officials, Israel is likely to attack Iran’s strategic infrastructure, including gas and oil rigs, or nuclear facilities. Attacks on Iran’s air defense systems and targeted killings could also be possible responses. If such a plan goes ahead, it could mark another round of confrontation between the two countries, while also severely crippling the Iranian economy.
On Wednesday, seven people were killed in two Israeli strikes in central Beirut which hit a Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic rescue center and destroyed the building, Lebanon’s National News agency reported. The strike hit an apartment building in the Bashoura neighborhood, close to the Lebanese parliament, the nearest Israeli strikes which have come to the country’s seat of government.
Hezbollah fired a pair of overnight drones in central Israel on Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year – but no injuries were reported. The IDF said it struck two hostile aircraft, with the third one landing in an open area near the Tel Aviv suburb of Bat Yam, The Times of Israel reported.
Both Israel and the remaining Hezbollah forces have amped up their strikes on each other following the Jewish nation’s ground offensive in Lebanon after the elimination of Nasrallah at the Hezbollah group’s headquarters in Beirut last week. Earlier on Tuesday, 8 Israeli soldiers were killed in Lebanon during the ground offensive.
Meanwhile, Israel targeted a weapons depot in Syria’s Jableh countryside and other targets in coastal cities in the western part of the country, The Jerusalem Post reported.