Iran shows off military might; Israel under pressure to not strike back

Iran shows off military might; Israel under pressure to not strike back
By Ahmad Parhizi
Tehran (AFP) April 17, 2024

As regional tensions run high, Iran paraded drones, missiles and soldiers on Wednesday to show it is ready for any response from Israel after launching an unprecedented attack on its bitter enemy.

The Islamic republic carried out its first-ever direct attack on Israel at the weekend in response to an April 1 air strike on its consulate in Damascus which has been widely blamed on Israel.

The operation dubbed Honest Promise "brought down the glory of the Zionist regime (Israel)", President Ebrahim Raisi said at a military base on the outskirts of Tehran.

"This operation showed that our armed forces are ready," he said in a speech addressed to the regular army and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Wednesday's parade saw the Iranian armed forces showcase a range of military equipment including drones and long-range ballistic missiles.

Among them were multiple versions of the Ababil, Arash and Mohajer drones as well as the Dezful medium-range ballistic missile and S-300 air defence missile system.

Raisi on Wednesday reiterated warnings against "the slightest act of aggression" by Israel, saying it would lead to "a fierce and severe response".

Israel has vowed to respond to the weekend attack, with military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari saying Iran would not get off "scot-free".

The Israeli army said most of the projectiles fired by Iran were shot down -- with the help of the United States and other allies -- and that the attack caused only minimal damage.

Iran hailed the attack as "successful" and said it "achieved all its objectives" including inflicting damages to the air base and intelligence centre which it says was used by Israel to strike the Damascus consulate.

- 'Humiliated' -

On Wednesday, Iran's air force commander Hamid Vahedi warned Iran's enemies against making a "strategic error".

"We are 100 percent ready in all aerial fronts," he was quoted as saying by ISNA news agency.

In his speech, Raisi also hit out at countries that had "sought to normalise relations" with Israel.

"These countries are now humiliated in front of their own people which constitutes a strategic failure for the regime" of Israel, he said.

In 2020, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco normalised relations with Israel as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords, vehemently criticised by the Palestinians.

Egypt and Jordan signed peace accords with Israel in 1979 and 1994, respectively.

Iran insists its attack on Israel was limited and carried out in "self-defence" following the strike on its consulate in the Syrian capital.

It said it had informed the United States and given a 72-hour warning to neighbouring countries ahead of the attack.

Late Tuesday, the United States said it would soon impose fresh sanctions on Iran's missile and drone programme and that it expected its allies and partners to follow with parallel measures.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has urged the G7 Wednesday to adopt new "coordinated sanctions" against Iran.

Asked about fears of a wider regional conflict, Cameron called the situation "very concerning".

In Tehran, where daily activity proceeded as normal in the bustling city centre, some showed support for Iran in case of a possible Israeli response.

"When it comes to defending our homeland, we are willing to go through anything," said 50-year-old lawyer Hossein.

"Our country is currently facing economic sanctions and many people are struggling, but defending our country is stronger than any obstacle."

Fershteh, a teacher, was also defiant. "We are not worried about war because we believe that if God wills it to be a war, I will survive."

Israel under pressure to refrain from striking Iran after attack
Jerusalem (AFP) April 17, 2024 - Israel faced pressure from its allies on Wednesday to refrain from striking back at Iran for its unprecedented missile and drone attack as Washington and Brussels vowed to ramp up sanctions against the Islamic republic.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock were the first Western envoys to visit Israel and urge calm after Iran's weekend attack, against which Israel has vowed to retaliate.

Cameron said: "We're very anxious to avoid escalation and to say to our friends in Israel: It's a time to think with head as well as heart, and in many ways this is a double defeat for Iran.

"Not only was their attack an almost total failure, but also the rest of the world can now see what a malign influence they are in the region," Cameron told Times Radio.

Middle East tensions -- which have soared amid the Israel-Hamas war raging in Gaza since October 7 -- have been stoked further as Iran has vowed to hit back if its arch foe Israel launches any further attacks.

As Iran marked its annual Army Day, it showed off a range of its weapons Wednesday, including attack drones and longer-range ballistic missiles, in a military parade in Tehran.

President Ebrahim Raisi hailed the weekend attack, launched in response to a deadly strike on Iran's Damascus consulate widely blamed on Israel, and warned that "the slightest act of aggression" by Israel would lead to "a fierce and severe response".

In the large-scale assault from late Saturday, Iran and allied groups launched over 300 missiles and drones carrying a combined payload of 85 tonnes at Israel, according to the Israeli army.

Damage and casualties were limited as Israel's air defences intercepted most of them, an effort joined by US, British, French and Jordanian forces.

Israel's military chief Herzi Halevi has vowed "a response" to Iran's first ever direct attack, and military spokesman Daniel Hagari also stressed that Iran would not get off "scot-free".

It remained unclear how and when Israel might strike, and whether it would target Iran directly or attack its interests or allies abroad in places such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

- US, EU toughen sanctions -

Israel's top ally the United States has made clear it won't join any attack on Iran and has called for de-escalation, as have a host of other Western and Arab leaders.

Washington has vowed instead to level more sanctions targeting Iran's missile and drone programme, its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian defence ministry.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the new measures "will continue a steady drumbeat of pressure to contain and degrade Iran's military capacity and effectiveness and confront the full range of its problematic behaviours".

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Brussels was also working to expand sanctions against Iran, including its supply of drones and other weapons to Russia and to proxy groups around the Middle East.

Germany's Baerbock said that Berlin and Paris were in favour of a European sanctions regime against Iranian drones to be extended to include "missile technologies in Iran's arsenal".

She and Cameron both met Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who urged a global push to "work decisively and defiantly against the threat by the Iranian regime which is seeking to undermine the stability of the whole region".

Cameron, speaking to British broadcasters, also urged the G7 to adopt new "coordinated sanctions against Iran", ahead of a meeting with counterparts from the Western-led grouping in Italy.

- Deadly strikes in Gaza -

The sharply heightened Israel-Iran tensions have threatened to overshadow the Gaza war, even as deadly bombardment and combat raged on unabated in the besieged territory.

Talks toward a truce and hostage release deal have stalled for now, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, a key mediator, said, despite months of effort also involving US and Egyptian officials.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told new army recruits on Tuesday that Israel is fighting Hamas "without mercy".

The military said Wednesday its aircraft had "struck over 40 terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip" over the past day and had "eliminated a number of terrorists and destroyed terrorist infrastructure".

Vast areas of Gaza have been devastated by more than six months of war, while its 2.4 million people have suffered under an Israeli siege that has blocked most water, food, medicines and other vital supplies.

The war started after the Hamas attack of October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

The militants also took about 250 hostages, of whom Israel estimates 129 remain in Gaza, including 34 who are presumed dead.

Israel's devastating retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,899 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

Israel has faced growing global opposition to the relentless fighting, which has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis.

The United Nations said it would launch an appeal on Wednesday for $2.8 billion to help Palestinians in Gaza and in the occupied West Bank.

The bloodiest ever Gaza war has revived the push for a two-state solution.

The Palestinians this month formally revived an application first made in 2011, though the veto-wielding United States has repeatedly expressed opposition.

The UN Security Council was preparing to vote Thursday on an Algeria-drafted resolution for full United Nations membership for a Palestinian state, diplomatic sources said.

The UN Security Council last month adopted a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza but this has had no effect on the ground.