|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Washington
Presses
for
Restraint
as
Israel-Iran
Conflict
Escalates
On 100th
Day
Daoud
Al-Jaber
- Middle
East
Affairs
Analysis
Tell Us
Worldwide
News
Network
JJERUSALEM
/ TEHRAN
— A
fragile,
two-month-old
ceasefire
was
pushed
to the
brink of
collapse
as
Israel
and Iran
exchanged
intense
rounds
of
direct
missile
strikes,
marking
a
volatile
escalation
on the
100th
day of
the
regional
conflict.
The
latest
escalation
began
late
Sunday
after
Israel
launched
airstrikes
targeting
a
Hezbollah
stronghold
in
Beirut.
Iran,
which
has
maintained
that a
permanent
ceasefire
in
Lebanon
is a
prerequisite
for any
broader
peace
agreement,
responded
by
launching
a
massive
salvo of
ballistic
missiles
toward
Israeli
territory.
Early
Monday
morning,
the
Israel
Defense
Forces
executed
what
they
described
as an
extensive,
large-scale
counter-offensive
inside
Iran.
Operating
under
direction
from
Military
Intelligence,
dozens
of
Israeli
Air
Force
fighter
jets
struck
strategic
air
defense
installations
and
petrochemical
facilities
in
western
and
central
Iran,
including
sites in
Isfahan,
Karaj,
Tabriz,
and
Mahshahr.
According
to
military
statements,
the
strikes
aimed to
dismantle
recently
deployed
defense
systems
intended
to
restore
Iranian
capabilities
degraded
earlier
this
year.
Following
the
attacks,
Iranian
authorities
temporarily
grounded
commercial
aviation,
closing
the
airspace
surrounding
Tehran’s
Imam
Khomeini
International
Airport.
The
exchange
occurred
despite
intense
diplomatic
pressure
from
Washington.
U.S.
President
Donald
Trump
reportedly
held a
tense
phone
call
with
Israeli
Prime
Minister
Benjamin
Netanyahu
urging
restraint
to
protect
ongoing
indirect
peace
negotiations.
President
Trump
later
emphasized
that
while he
remains
committed
to
securing
a
comprehensive
regional
settlement,
the
United
States
continues
to
demand
that
Iran
halt all
uranium
enrichment
and
reopen
the
blockaded
Strait
of
Hormuz
to
global
shipping.
Adding
to
regional
instability,
missile
alert
sirens
sounded
across
Israel
on
Monday
morning
following
a launch
from
Yemen,
where
Houthi
rebels
have
declared
operational
alignment
with
Tehran.
Emergency
services
in
Israel
reported
no
immediate
casualties
or
direct
impacts
from the
Yemeni
projectile.
Sirens
were
also
activated
near
Prince
Sultan
Air Base
in Saudi
Arabia,
which
hosts
U.S.
military
personnel,
highlighting
the
heightened
alert
status
across
the
Gulf.
Negotiators
from the
United
States,
Israel,
and
Lebanon
had
previously
agreed
to a
framework
establishing
security
zones in
southern
Lebanon
intended
to
restrict
Hezbollah
operations.
However,
the
direct
exchange
between
Jerusalem
and
Tehran
has
severely
complicated
the
prospects
for a
lasting
diplomatic
resolution,
leaving
global
energy
markets
on edge
as the
conflict
threatens
to
expand
further.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I
HI TECH NEWS
I
SPORTS
I
