Puppet Masters

Iran, Russian foreign ministers warn against further escalation in region

PressTV
Sun, 14 Apr 2024 06:54 UTC

The photo shows Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (R) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov have warned that new provocative acts can lead to an escalation of tensions in the region, following Iran's retaliatory attack on the Israeli-occupied territories.

The two diplomats made the remarks in a phone conversation on Sunday, as they discussed the latest developments in the region, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.

"It was noted that a further escalation of tensions in the region and new, dangerous provocative actions could lead to a boost in tensions" in the region, the ministry said.

The warning comes as Israel's war cabinet met on Sunday afternoon to discuss possible responses to the overnight Iranian drone and missile strike.

"Prevention of such scenarios and elimination of their causes must receive particularly prioritized attention within the UN Security Council," the Russian ministry added.

The ministry further noted that "the Iranian Foreign Minister informed his Russian counterpart about the measures, undertaken by Tehran in response to the April 1 Israeli airstrike at the consular department of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, which led to the death of official Iranian representatives."

It also said the two sides reaffirmed their position in favor of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched extensive missile and drone strikes against the occupied territories late on Saturday in response to Israel's missile attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus on April 1.

The retaliatory attack, dubbed Operation True Promise, has inflicted damage on Israeli military bases across the occupied territories, but the extent of which is yet to be specified.

The Israeli attack on Iran's diplomatic facilities in Syria resulted in the martyrdom of Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a commander of the IRGC's Quds Force, his deputy, General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, and five of their accompanying officers.

The terrorist attack drew categorical condemnation from senior Iranian political and military leaders, who vowed "definitive revenge."

Comment:
1) Israel has been pressed to stop the operation against the Palestinians in Gaza. Rather than stopping, Israel make a moves that offers the potential for even more trouble, if Israel does not get its way. From RT there was a headline Netanyahu called off retaliation strikes after speaking to Biden - NYT. Perhaps this scenario was intended, Biden "calms Netanyahu down", if such can be imagined, and the violence can continue, as in Palestinian murdered by Israeli settlers rampaging in his village and troops fire on stone-throwers:

Israeli bombardments and ground offensives in Gaza have killed more than 33,600 Palestinians and wounded over 76,200, the Gaza Health Ministry says. The ministry doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its tally, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.

2) From the same source:
Press TV exclusive: All hypersonic missiles used in Iran's strikes against Israel hit targets

Monday, 15 April 2024 5:56 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 15 April 2024 7:34 AM ]

All the hypersonic missiles used in Iran's punitive strikes against Israel have hit their targets after evading the regime's air defense systems, Press TV reports.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched extensive missile and drone strikes late Saturday night on the occupied territories, marking the first time the Islamic Republic employed such weapons against real targets.

The series of retaliatory strikes, dubbed Operation True Promise, inflicted damage on Israeli military bases across the occupied territories.

Sources informed Press TV that the Israeli regime and its supporters failed to intercept any of the hypersonic missiles fired by Iran.

Iran is among few countries that posses the technology to produce hypersonic missiles which can travel at stunning speeds and hit their targets with great precision.

Iran's hypersonic missiles are highly maneuverable, enabling them to have an unpredictable flight path in order to confuse enemy's missile shields.

The chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Baqeri, said on Sunday that Iran hit a large intelligence base in the occupied lands and Israel's Nevatim Airbase, from where an F-35 jet took off to target Iran's diplomatic premises in Damascus.

He added that the strikes "reached its goals" as the regime's so-called Iron Dome system failed to deal with the Iranian missiles and drones properly.

The IRGC's operation was carried out in retaliation for a missile attack by Israel on Iran's diplomatic premises in the Syrian capital of Damascus earlier in April.

The Israeli attack on Iran's diplomatic facilities in Syria resulted in the martyrdom of Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a commander of the IRGC's Quds Force, his deputy, General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, and five of their accompanying officers.

The terrorist attack drew categorical condemnation from senior Iranian political and military leaders, who vowed "definitive revenge."

During a speech in Tehran on Wednesday 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 its deadly strike on the Iranian diplomatic premises.

The Leader added, "The evil Zionist regime committed another mistake ... and that was the attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria. The consulate and diplomatic missions in any country are considered to be the territory of that country. When they attack our consulate, it means they have attacked our soil."

3) As a parallel, the US bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade:

On May 7, 1999, during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (Operation Allied Force), five U.S. Joint Direct Attack Munition guided bombs hit the People's Republic of China embassy in Belgrade, killing three Chinese state media journalists and outraging the Chinese public.^[2] According to the U.S. government, the intention had been to bomb the nearby Yugoslav Federal Directorate for Supply and Procurement (FDSP). President Bill Clinton apologized for the bombing, stating it was an accident.^[3]^[4]^[5] Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director George Tenet testified before a congressional committee that the bombing was the only one in the campaign organized and directed by his agency,^[6] and that the CIA had identified the wrong coordinates for a Yugoslav military target on the same street.^[7] The Chinese government issued a statement on the day of the bombing, stating that it was a "barbarian act".^[8]