Updated

Aug 13, 2024, 06:48 AM

Published

Aug 13, 2024, 06:45 AM

WASHINGTON – The United States and European allies called on Iran to “stand down” on Aug 12, as fears mounted of an imminent attack on Israel that could spark an all-out war in the Middle East.

Tensions are soaring in the region, with the United States rushing a missile submarine and an aircraft carrier group in a show of support for its key ally.

Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah have vowed revenge for the killing of the political leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Tehran, and of a Hezbollah commander in Beirut.

International efforts to stave off an Iranian attack intensified, with US President Joe Biden and the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Britain warning Tehran in a joint statement.

“We called on Iran to stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel and discussed the serious consequences for regional security should such an attack take place,” they said after speaking on Aug 12.

The White House warned that a “significant set of attacks” by Iran and its proxies was possible as soon as this week, saying that Israel shared the same assessment.

As the frantic diplomacy continued, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer both called on Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to urge de-escalation.

But Mr Pezeshkian said his country has the “right to respond to aggressors”.

Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh had been in Tehran for the new Iranian President’s inauguration last month when he was killed in an attack that Iran has blamed on Israel.

Israel assassinated Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut a day earlier, leaving the region on edge.

‘No further time to lose’

Israeli military spokesman Rear-Admiral Daniel Hagari said his country was “ready to foil any threat in real time” but added that he was “not familiar” with reports that Iran was expected to launch an attack in the next 24 hours.

Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the country had strengthened defences and organised “offensive options” as “threats from Tehran and Beirut may materialise”.

Washington and the four European nations meanwhile intensified their calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, regarding the conflict sparked by Hamas’ Oct 7 attack on Israel as the root cause of the tensions in the Middle East.

They backed a call by Mr Biden and the leaders of Egypt and Qatar for renewed talks between Israel and Hamas on Aug 15, “and stressed there is no further time to lose”.

They also called for “unfettered” delivery of aid to devastated Gaza.

The pressure to bring an end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip and for Hamas to release its hostages came as the militant group’s armed wing said it had killed one Israeli captive and wounded two more in “incidents”.

The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement that two of its fighters “assigned to guard” the hostages had fired at them in “two separate incidents” and that a committee had been formed to investigate.

Hamas has urged mediators to implement a truce plan earlier presented by Mr Biden instead of holding more talks.

But Israel has accepted the invitation from the United States, Qatar and Egypt to send negotiators.

“The reason we’re doing that is to finalise the details of the implementation of the framework agreement,” Israeli government spokesman David Mencer told a news conference.

‘Stop this war’

Pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza grew after civil defence rescuers in the Hamas-run territory said an Israeli air strike on Aug 10 killed 93 people at a school housing displaced Palestinians.

Israel said it targeted militants operating out of the school and mosque.

On Aug 12, witnesses told AFP Israel struck Khan Younis and Rafah from the air. Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, which has been fighting alongside Hamas in Gaza, said its militants were battling Israeli troops in Khan Younis.

In central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, Suhail Abu Batihan said the Israeli bombardment was “causing terror” among residents, calling on mediators and “the world… to intervene to stop this war”.

Rifts within Israel’s cabinet were also displayed on Aug 12, with Mr Gallant exchanging criticism with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The reason a hostage deal is stalling is in part because of Israel”, Israeli media, including television channel Kan, reported Mr Gallant saying in a private briefing for a parliamentary committee.

Mr Gallant was discussing the choice Israel faced between a ceasefire deal that could end the conflicts in the north with Lebanese Hezbollah and in Gaza, and escalating the war, Kan reported.

“I and the defence establishment support the first option,” he said, rather than talk of “‘total victory’ and all that nonsense”, a phrase frequently used by Mr Netanyahu in his communications.

Within hours of Mr Gallant’s words leaking to the media, Mr Netanyahu hit back in a statement issued by his office.

“When Gallant adopts the anti-Israel narrative, he harms the chances of reaching a hostage release deal,” he said, adding that Hamas supremo Yahya Sinwar is the one “who has been and remains the only obstacle to a hostage deal”.

The Gaza war began with Hamas’ Oct 7 attack on southern Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Militants also seized 251 people, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive in Gaza has killed at least 39,897 people, according to a new toll from the territory’s health ministry, which does not provide a breakdown of civilian and militant deaths. AFP