Op True Promise / Iron Shield - Background
Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tehran, Abdul Qader Fayez, said that the "combined attack" that the Revolutionary Guard is talking about against Israel means that the strikes will be carried out from different geographical areas with a variety of weapons. He added that the Revolutionary Guard may begin launching ballistic missiles towards Israel as soon as the Israeli air defenses begin dealing with the drones, especially since these missiles only need a few minutes to arrive. The correspondent explained that the attacks may also be launched from Iraq, Syria and Yemen, and said that Iran renewed the warning to target any country that allows the use of military bases on its soil against Tehran.
He described what happened as a "clear and unprecedented violation of the red line between the two sides," stressing that the Israeli response will determine where the region will go during the coming period. The reporter added that the Iranian talk about starting the main part of the "combined response" immediately after the drones reach Israel "is considered very important because it means that Tehran will use its ballistic missiles in this response." He described what is happening currently as "not a passing step" and that Tehran's launch of a clear response from Iranian territory towards Israel may pose challenges to which it says it is prepared, even though a senior source assured him that all responses carry with them great risks.
He stressed that the launch of drones from Iranian territory towards Israel means a major shift in the relationship between the two parties, stressing that this matter will carry great risks to the security of the region. A well-informed Iranian official was quoted as saying that Tehran is forced to respond, and that all scenarios on the table are considered dangerous in the military sense, including those described as controlled.
Al Jazeera's correspondent said that Iran had talked about a response that would be carried out with drones and long-range ballistic missiles, and he quoted unofficial sources as saying that what was launched was a first batch that would be followed by another batch. The information indicates - according to the correspondent - that the first squadron of aircraft headed towards Safad, which was targeted by the Lebanese Hezbollah a few days ago, indicating that the matter carries within it a kind of stress for the Israeli Iron Dome. The correspondent stressed the importance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighting the content of the call that took place hours ago between Minister Hossein Abdullahian and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, as it focused on the part of Tehran informing the American side of the necessary and necessary security warnings regarding what is happening in the region.
He also said that this focus on this part indicates communication that may have taken place between the Iranians and the Americans during the last hours, stressing that Tehran wants a response that does not lead to the expansion of the war, which is something that is difficult to implement from a military standpoint, no matter how thoughtful it is, according to him. He also confirmed that what he heard from Iranian officials, some of whom are from the Revolutionary Guard, is that they do not want to enter into a confrontation with the United States, but at the same time they are ready for a fierce response if the Americans enter the line.
A senior US official told the Qatari television station 'Al Jazeera': 'We are very concerned about the possibility that Iran will launch a full-scale war against Israel. There is a good chance that Iran will launch an attack. against Israel at night. It could launch an attack from its country on targets in Israel, with the participation of its allies in Iraq and Syria." The official added that “the US will defend Israel and try to counter the Iranian attack.” Our additional military capabilities are in positions and ready to counter any attack from Iran and its allies.”
Two Navy destroyers, including the USS Carney, were relocated to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea last week, media reports said, citing a Navy official. The UK, although it has two warships in the region, including the HMS Diamond, reportedly said it had no plans to join US operations off the coast of Israel.
Axios reported - citing American officials - that Tehran informed Arab governments that it would target American bases in the region if Washington intervened after any Iranian attack on Israel, in response to the targeting of the Iranian consulate in Damascus about two weeks ago. Iran also informed those governments that it considers Washington responsible for the Israeli attack that killed 7 members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard , including a general, in the Syrian capital, despite American efforts to distance itself from that strike.
American officials added that Iran cannot attack American forces unless the latter participates with Israel in its counterattack, according to the American intelligence assessment. They also expected that the Iranians were aiming for a limited response that would not lead to regional escalation. They pointed out that the administration of US President Joe Biden says that Tel Aviv did not consult with it or inform it before the strike, despite its potential effects on US forces in the region.
On the other hand, the British newspaper The Telegraph quoted Western intelligence officials as saying that they expect an Iranian attack on military and government buildings in Israel without targeting civilians. The newspaper also quoted a source in the British Navy as saying that the United Kingdom has no plans to join American operations off the coast of Israel. The British Financial Times quoted diplomats as saying that Tel Aviv may accept an Iranian response to the consulate attack in Damascus, if the losses are limited to material damage, but it will respond if there are casualties.
CNN also reported - according to a senior American official - that Washington expects Iran to carry out strikes against targets inside Israel, and that its agents may participate in carrying out the attacks. The official suggested that Iran would target targets inside Israel as well as throughout the region.
The official Israeli radio reported that Tel Aviv rules out an Iranian attack on it from within Iran, but is prepared to confront any possible attack. Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth, citing unnamed officials, said that there is maximum coordination with the Americans and other parties, and that the state of alert is at its peak in anticipation of a possible Iranian strike. The newspaper added that if Iran attacks, "we have a long warning period that allows for preparation and aerial interception."
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei had vowed that Iran will "punish" Israel and make the evil regime "regret" its crime of assassinating the country's military advisors in Syria. Iran's President Ebrahim Raeisi has also said Israel had resorted to indiscriminate assassinations after back-to-back failures in the face of the resistance, warning that the regime's latest crime against Iranian military advisers in Syria "will not go unanswered."
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stated 11 April 2024 "When the Zionist regime tramples on the international law and Vienna Conventions and violates the immunity of diplomatic agents and premises, and the UNSC is incapable of issuing a statement in condemnation of the terrorist attack on the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, legitimate defense with the objective of punishing the aggressor becomes a necessity". The Iranian foreign minister pointed out "Iran is not seeking escalation of hostility; but the return of sustainable security to the sensitive West Asia region is tied to controlling warmongering and deranged leaders of the Zionist regime and the viable cessation of this regime's war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank".
Multiple people were killed, including a commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), in an Israeli air strike on the Iranian Consulate in Damascus on 01 April 2024. "Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of the IRGC's Quds Force, was martyred in an attack by Zionist regime fighters on the Islamic Republic of Iran's consulate building in Damascus," Iranian state TV reported. The IRGC later said seven of its members had been killed, including Zahedi and his deputy, General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi. Iran said that the consulate annex was hit by six missiles fired by F35 fighter jets.
Several countries called on their nationals to leave Iran and Israel, amid an atmosphere of anticipation for a possible Iranian response to the Israeli attack that targeted the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital at the beginning of this April. Germany urged its citizens to leave Iran, saying that there were risks of a sudden escalation in the current tension between Tehran and Tel Aviv, with the possibility of Iranian authorities arresting German citizens “arbitrarily.” The German Foreign Ministry said in a new warning, "In light of the current tension, especially between Israel and Iran, there is a risk of a sudden escalation... It cannot be ruled out that air, land and sea transport routes will be affected."
"German citizens are at significant risk of arbitrary arrest, interrogation and long-term imprisonment. Dual nationals are particularly at risk," she added. The French Foreign Ministry also decided to return the families of diplomats in Tehran to the country, according to an Al Jazeera correspondent. Foreign Minister Stephane Ségournet advised the French to "refrain from heading to Iran, Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories." The minister also requested "the return of the families of diplomatic personnel from Tehran," as well as the ban on missions of French official personnel to these countries.
The Indian Foreign Ministry also advised its citizens not to travel to Iran and Israel until further notice. She said that Indians in Iran and Israel should take the necessary precautions for their safety and reduce their movements to a minimum. For its part, the Dutch government, in turn, recommended that its citizens postpone their urgent trips to Israel due to escalating tensions with Iran. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said - in a statement - that the security situation in Israel is unpredictable due to the tension with Iran. It indicated that attacks with missiles, drones, and mortar shells occurred in the Gaza Strip and its environs, and in the border area between Israel and Lebanon.
The Polish Foreign Ministry also said that it advised - in an update to its travel directives yesterday - against traveling to Israel, the Palestinian territories and Lebanon. The ministry said in a statement, "It cannot be ruled out that a sudden escalation of military operations will occur, which may cause great difficulties in leaving these three countries." She added, "Any escalation could lead to major restrictions on air traffic and the inability to cross land border crossings."
The same warning was issued by Austria, which called on its citizens to leave Iranian soil as soon as possible in anticipation of any escalation in the military situation in the region. The Canadian Foreign Ministry also said that it has raised its risk level to completely avoid travel to Israel and the West Bank, due to the expected escalation in the region.
On the other hand, Lufthansa Airlines stated yesterday that it has extended the suspension of its flights to and from Tehran for a period of 5 days until April 18, and that it will not use Iranian airspace during that period. This German company said that the decision was taken after a “careful evaluation” using the government’s security assessments and information.
Yesterday, Austrian Airlines, the last company in Western Europe still operating flights to Iran, said yesterday that it would suspend all its flights from Vienna to Tehran until April 18 in light of the escalating tension in the region. Austria continued its flights to Iran for a longer period than its parent company, German Lufthansa, due to its proximity to Tehran, which makes canceling flights easier for it. The Austrian company said in a statement, “The routes that pass through Iranian airspace will also be modified. The safety of our passengers and crews is the highest priority.”
Sultan Barakat, professor in conflict and humanitarian studies at Qatar Foundation’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University, spoke to Al Jazeera about what Benjamin Netanyahu hoped to achieve with the April 1 attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria. He said the Israeli prime minister had the following objectives:
- Extend the status of war and, with it, the emergency rules that keep him in power, for now, by reminding everyone that Iran will retaliate as a threat.
- He’s also managed to silence the little criticism that had started to come from Washington concerning his operations in Gaza. It’s very unlikely that anyone there will say anything against Israel over the coming few days.
- He’s also going to accelerate the delivery of the weapons that Biden has promised, including the critical F-35 jet fighters.
- Critically, he is also going to silence the opposition within his own country. He will stop the right of demonstrations on the basis that Israelis are all under the threat of Iran.
During a speech in Tehran on 10 April 2024 after leading the Eid al-Fitr prayers, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the Israeli regime “must be punished and will be punished” for the deadly strike on the Iranian diplomatic premises.
The name of the operation to intercept the Iranian attack Saturday was determined - "Iron Shield".
Quran's Surah Al- Anbiyaa Verse Aya 97 " It is a seal that the sight of those who disbelieved, O, and we have been in a mistake from this, but we were the shadows ( 97 ) Besides God, Hell is the limit of Hell. You shall enter it. ( 98 ) If these were gods, they would not have entered it. And all of them will abide therein. ( 99 )"
The Interpretation Tafsir (explication) of Ibn Katheer, And the true promise has drawn near, and, lo, it is glaring at the eyes of those who disbelieve. O, woe to us! Indeed, we have been heedless of this. Rather, we have been wrongdoers. (97) And His saying: (And the true promise has drawn near) means: On the Day of Resurrection, when these horrors, earthquakes, and confusion are found, the Hour has approached and is approaching. When it has arrived, the disbelievers will say: (This is a difficult day) [Al-Qamar: 8] . That is why God Almighty said: (And behold, it was the sight of those who disbelieved.) That is, from the severity of what they are witnessing of the great matters: (O Woe to us) That is: They say: (O woe to us! We were heedless of this) That is, in this world, (Rather, we were wrongdoers.) They admit their injustice to themselves, as it does not benefit them.
God Almighty says: And the true promise has drawn near . Ibn Abi Hatim narrated , on the authority of Ibn Zaid : And the true promise approached . He said: The Day of Resurrection approached. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated on the authority of Al-Rabi ’: And the true promise approached . He said: The Hour has come upon them. The saying of Al-Waseet by Tantawi: (And the true promise has drawn near...) is connected to (Fathaat), meaning: the dam that was on Gog and Magog was opened, and the time of reckoning and recompense has drawn near.
Al-Saadi narrates : {And the true promise has drawn near} meaning: the Day of Resurrection which God has promised to bring, and His promise is true and true. On that day you will see the eyes of the infidels wide-eyed, from the intensity of the terrors, the disturbing terrors, and the horrific unrest, and what they knew of their crimes and sins, and that they are calling for woe and perdition, remorse and heartbreak, For what has passed and they say to: {We were heedless of this} the great day, so we did not stay there immersed in, and enjoying, the pleasures of this world, until certainty came to us, and we arrived at the Resurrection. If anyone were to die from remorse and heartbreak, they would have died. {Rather, we were wrongdoers} They acknowledged their wrongdoing, and God was just with them. Then they will be commanded to Hell, they and what they were worshiping.
Al-Tabari said "Until when Gog and Magog are conquered, the true promise will draw near, and that is the promise of God, who promised His servants that He would raise them from their graves for recompense, reward, and punishment, and it is undoubtedly true, as His Majesty said. And about which we said the people of interpretation. Mention who said that: Ibn Hamid told us, he said: Al-Hakam bin Bashir told us, he said: Amr told us, meaning Ibn Qays, he said: Hudhayfah told us: If a man were to turn around after the emergence of Gog and Magog, he would not ride him until the Resurrection occurs.""
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