[🇮🇷] Iran launched ballistic missiles towards Israel

[Bilal9]

Iran wanted to do real damage, and Israel's response may not be as restrained as last time​

Jeremy Bowen. International Editor, BBC News
Reporting from Jerusalem

Reuters
Iranian missiles seen intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome on 1 October

When Iran attacked Israel in April, it seemed like it was making a point – but Iran effectively gave notice of the attack in terms of how it carried it out, and everything was pretty much shot out of the air by Israeli and American defences.

This time around it’s different. The Iranians looked like they wanted to do some serious damage and were making a much more aggressive point.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps put out an announcement saying that they were retaliating to the killings of senior leaders in Hamas and Hezbollah, and warned that if Israel retaliated, in turn they would strike back.

Last time around, Joe Biden said to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu – “Take the win”, don’t carry out a big response - and they didn’t. This time around in Israel the mood is very different.

Look at the tweet from former prime minister Naftali Bennett last night, using very strong language, saying: “This is the greatest opportunity in 50 years to change the face of the Middle East.” He was arguing that Israel should go after Iran’s nuclear facilities, in order to “fatally cripple this terrorist regime”.

Now he’s not prime minister (although he is widely tipped to be a future one, so he was making a point to show he is tough) but it does reflect a certain mood in the country.

I would not rule out attacks by Israel on anything at the moment – nuclear sites, petrochemical facilities, anything that could cause damage to the Iranian economy.

The scenario always was that Iran had a forward defence in the shape of Hezbollah in Lebanon, with a massive arsenal of sophisticated weapons, to be used, in theory, if Iran and its nuclear facilities were attacked.

But in the last couple of weeks, Israel has decapitated the Hezbollah organisation, destroyed half of its weapons, according to American and Israeli authorities; and invaded Lebanon.

The deterrent Iran had, you could argue, is not just gone – it’s smashed into a thousand pieces. So I think the Israelis are feeling more free to act. And Joe Biden is moving another carrier battle group to the Mediterranean, signalling to the Iranians that if you hit Israel, you hit the US too.

This is why people were talking about the fear of the war spreading: the instability, the turbulence that comes from everything that’s been happening – now we are seeing it play out and it leaves very little room for diplomacy at this moment.

Good article piece @Ghazi52 bhai.

My take on this is that (big Picture-wise) Netanyahu is playing Biden for a fool. The whole Biden objective was to prevent an escalation of the Gaza atrocities into full scale regional conflict. This has failed because Biden has failed to restrain Netanyahu into attacking Lebanon and Hezbollah.

Netanyahu won because he is ensuring his political future using jingoism. While Biden sits and watches and allows more arms into Israel.

Netanyahu is just biding his time and if Trump (Netanyahu's friend) wins the white house (Thanks to I-PAK) then the entire Middle East will be embroiled into a nuclear catastrophe. Game over for peace.

What is foolish is that there will be no strategic end to this conflict if things continue like the tactical moves and reactions Israel has been making of late. The world will never end up to be what some thinktanks in Washington visualize which is Israel surviving trouble-free and all Middle East opposers of Israel vanquished for good.

@PakistanProud bhai and brother @Aryobarzan what are your thoughts?

 

[Ghazi52]

Biden says Israel shouldn’t strike Iranian nuclear sites​

From CNN's Kevin Liptak, Alex Marquardt, MJ Lee and Kylie Atwood

US President Joe Biden is counseling Israel to take a proportional response to this week’s barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles, voicing opposition to a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear sites in the hopes of preventing the conflict that has erupted in the region from widening further.

American officials are not privately trying to persuade Israel to hold back on retaliating against Iran, two senior administration officials told CNN, a notable difference from April when Biden encouraged Israel to “take the win” following the successful interception of a barrage of Iranian drones and missiles.

Instead, Biden hopes Israel will adopt a measured approach that can both uphold its right to strike back while avoiding action that could prompt further retaliation and tip the region into full-scale war.

“No one’s saying don’t respond,” one senior administration official said. “No one’s saying, ‘Take the win.’”

How that message will be received by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains to be seen, particularly as his political standing appears more assured following successful efforts to degrade Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The stakes of the moment could not be higher. Biden has watched with mounting concern as tensions in the region have spiraled. Attempts at brokering ceasefire agreements both in Gaza and along the Israel-Lebanon border have been largely fruitless. And the pending American presidential election has elevated the stakes of trying to manage the crisis.

 

[Ghazi52]

Iran vows "stronger response" if Israel retaliates for missile attack​

From CNN’s Hamdi Alkhshali

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a press conference in Doha on Wednesday, October 2.
Karim Jaafar/AFP/Getty Images

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that while Iran does not seek war, it will deliver a “stronger response” if Israel retaliates following Iran’s missile attack Tuesday.

Speaking in Doha alongside Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Wednesday, Pezeshkian accused Israel of instigating insecurity in the region and condemned what he described as historical crimes.

“We were left with no choice but to respond. If Israel wants to react, we will have a stronger response, this is what the Islamic Republic is committed to,” Pezeshkian said.

Hours after Tuesday’s unprecedented attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Iran made a big mistake tonight — and it will pay for it.”

Pezeshkian’s remarks come after Iran fired about 200 ballistic missiles in Tuesday’s barrage, which it said was in response to the killings of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

1 hr 36 min ago

 

[Ghazi52]

 

[Ghazi52]

 

[Ghazi52]

 

[PakistanProud]

 

[PakistanProud]

Apparently, a 'Palestinian' man was killed after a rocket fell went it initiated against the iron dome system as per this video:

 

[PakistanProud]

 

[Ghazi52]

 

[Ghazi52]

 

[Ghazi52]

Like a wise man once said "there was no difference between the liberal jew & the Zionist jew the liberal jew just thought Zionism was an impractical maybe even dangerous way of publicly avowing their Jewishness"

 

[Ghazi52]

Power balance has shifted as region braces for Israel's response to Iran, analyst says​

From CNN’s Kathleen Magramo

A firefighter stands in front of an apartment hit by an Israeli airstrike, in Beirut, Lebanon, on October 3, 2024.
Hussein Malla/AP

Devastating Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon have given Israel the upper hand as it edges toward a direct confrontation with the militant group’s backers in Iran, a regional expert said on Thursday.

After killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and launching a ground incursion in southern Lebanon, Israel was likely to target Iran directly in response to Tuesday’s Iranian missile attack, said Paul Salem, vice president for international engagement at the Washington-based Middle East Institute.

“We are bracing for a large-scale Israeli attack on Iran,” Salem told CNN’s Lynda Kinkade.

Israel’s assassination of Nasrallah and multiple heavy hits to Hezbollah over the past two weeks signaled a “tectonic shift” in regional power dynamics, he added.

“Before Israel decapitated Hezbollah and greatly degraded it, Israel used to worry about Hezbollah much more when it contemplated hitting Iran,” Salem said.

“Now, they feel Hezbollah is not a major threat and now Israel is focused on going after Iran itself. And that tectonic shift is a shift in which Iran no longer has the balance of power or balance of deterrence between Iran and Israel.”

 

[Ghazi52]

US ability to control Netanyahu's military strategy “pretty limited,” CNN analyst says​

From CNN’s Kathleen Magramo

The White House’s ability to control Israel’s military strategy is “quite limited,” a CNN security analyst told CNN, as US officials call for a de-escalation in Israel’s growing conflict with Iran, and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Juliette Kayyem, a national security, intelligence and terrorism analyst, told CNN’s Lynda Kinkade it is difficult to predict Israel’s response at this stage, saying the United States’ influence over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military strategy had lessened since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.

The United States is Israel’s most important ally and biggest supplier of arms. But its “ability to control Israel in terms of its military strategy is showing itself to be quite limited,” Kayyem said.

Israel’s continuing attacks in Gaza show that concerns from the US on hindrances to humanitarian aid have gone unheeded by Israeli authorities, she added.

Asked whether Israel would listen to US President Joe Biden’s message that Iranian nuclear sites should not be targeted, Kayyem noted that Israel has vowed to launch a “very public and forceful” response to Iran’s major missile attack and is “keeping its options open.”

“It’s not like there aren’t enough potential targets. It won’t just be nuclear,” Kayyem said. “You could go after oil fields, you could go after their missile sites, but Israel is keeping its options open — one hopes, to avoid a regional, direct conflict between Iran and Israel. The consequences of that [are] just unknowable to anyone at this stage.”

 

[Ghazi52]

Biden rejects suggestion of imminent Israeli strike on Iran​

Image source,EPA/Shutterstock
The US president shared the update with reporters at the White House today
US President Joe Biden has dismissed suggestions of an Israeli strike on Iran being launched today.

Asked by reporters at the White House if the US would allow Israel to respond to Tuesday's attacks from Iran, Biden said: "First of all, we don't 'allow' Israel, we advise Israel. And there is nothing going to happen today."

Following the large-scale missile attacks launched by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran will pay for the "big mistake".

 

[Ghazi52]

Satellite imagery shows aftermath of Iranian strikes on air base in southern Israel​

From CNN's Paul P. Murphy

Two hangars, used to store large planes at Nevatim Air Base in Israel, were heavily damaged by missiles from the Iranian attack on Tuesday, October 1.

Planet Labs

Iran’s missile attack on Israel on Tuesday destroyed at least three buildings at the Netavim Air Base in southern Israel and left at least a dozen craters, a CNN analysis of satellite imagery from Planet Labs shows.

Iran’s military chief Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri said that the base — located in the remote Negev desert in Israel — was targeted, along with another air base and the headquarters of Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency.

Iran's missile attack on Tuesday, October 1, on Israel left at least a dozen craters at the Netavim Air Base in southern Israel, like the one seen in the middle of this image.

Planet Labs

Videos geolocated by CNN show a number of explosions at the airbase during the attack. Missiles tore large holes in the roofs of two hangars used to store larger planes. Debris from the structures, splintered by the missile, are scattered on the ground around the hangars.

Right next to the hangars, two additional craters are seen in a taxiway of the base. Satellite imagery shows that a portion of the taxiway hit by the missiles is being actively being excavated and repaired.

Iran also appeared to have targeted other hangars at the base. Two missiles just missed a group of hangars, which are likely used for storing fighter jets, by about 40 feet, based on where the craters are.

A third building just north of the hangars was also hit. It’s unclear what that building was used for, but it was not used to store aircraft.

Taxiways, a runway and other roadways at the base were also hit. The southernmost runway and a nearby taxiway both have craters of almost 30 feet.

 

[Ghazi52]

Biden says ‘discussing’ possible Israeli strikes on Iran oil facilities​

• His comments send oil prices spiking a month before US presidential election

AFP
October 3, 2024

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden said he was discussing possible Israeli strikes on Iranian oil facilities, in comments that sent oil prices spiking Thursday just a month before the US presidential election.

Biden told reporters at the White House however that he was not expecting Israel to launch any retaliation for Tehran’s missile barrage on Israel before Thursday at least.

When asked by a reporter if he supported Israel striking Iran’s oil facilities, Biden said “we’re discussing that. I think that would be a little… anyway.”

Oil prices jumped five percent over concerns about the Middle East after Biden spoke.

A rise in oil prices could be hugely damaging for Biden’s Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democrat confronts Republican former president Donald Trump in a November 5 election where the cost of living is a major issue.

Biden said he did not expect any immediate action from Israel – even if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently paid little heed to calls for restraint as he targets allied Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“First of all, we don’t ‘allow’ Israel, we advise Israel. And there is nothing going to happen today,” Biden told reporters when asked if he would allow Israel to retaliate against Iran.

Biden said on Wednesday that he would not back Israel attacking Iranian nuclear sites.

Iran launched around 200 rockets in a direct missile attack on Israel on Tuesday, prompting Netanyahu to warn that Tehran would pay.

Iran said it was in retaliation for the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has been launching rockets at Israel since shortly after the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by Iran’s Palestinian ally Hamas, and Israel’s crushing retaliatory offensive in Gaza.

 

[Ghazi52]

US does not believe Israel has decided how it will respond to Iran attack, official says​

From CNN's Kevin Liptak

President Joe Biden speaks to the press as he prepares to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on October 3
Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

The US does not believe Israel has made a decision on how to respond to Iran’s ballistic missile attack, according to an official familiar with the matter.

Israeli and American officials continue to discuss a response to Tuesday’s attack, but so far it is the United States’ understanding that Israel is still determining how to proceed, the official said.

Biden said earlier Thursday there were discussions about hitting Iranian oil reserves but stopped short of endorsing that option.

“We’re in discussions of that. I think that would be a little — anyway …” he said before being asked a separate, unrelated question. “There’s nothing going to happen today, we’ll talk about that later.”

The open-ended comments about targeting Iranian oil nonetheless prompted a spike in the price of oil as markets anticipated an attack on Iranian energy.

The official cautioned against speculation on what Israel might decide to hit, including oil facilities, because its leaders hadn’t yet decided on a course of action.

 

[Ghazi52]

Iranian deputy commander threatens to target Israel’s energy infrastructure​

From CNN’s Mostafa Salem

Ali Fadavi, Deputy Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), delivers a speech in the Iranian capital Tehran in 2019.

Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images/File

Israel’s power plants and gas refineries could be hit in response to an attack on Iran, the deputy commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said, according to local media.

“Iran is a large and vast country and has many economic centers, while Israel has three power plants and several refineries. We can target all of these at once,” Brig. Gen. Ali Fadavi said.

Fadavi said Iran will target all energy sites if Israel makes “a mistake.”

 

[Ghazi52]

Remember:
Iran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles on Israeli cities Tuesday in response to the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last week. The strikes caused minimal damage.

In Beirut, the Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi also warned of a “harsh response” if Israel attacks, saying so far his country had only attacked Israeli security and military sites.

His comments echoed an earlier statement from the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said earlier today that Tuesday’s Iranian attack on Israel was the “least punishment” and that Iran will attack Israel again “if needs be.”

Araghchi was speaking to reporters in the Lebanese capital of Beirut after meeting Lebanese parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri — a Hezbollah ally and a key figure in negotiations for a ceasefire with Israel.