The UN Security Council failed on April 11 to reach a consensus on the Palestinian initiative to gain full membership of the United Nations, despite the support of two-thirds of the members of the committee responsible for welcoming new members to the Council.
The US State Department said Antony Blinken spoke with his Chinese counterpart and other foreign ministers to try to influence Iran to dissuade it from attacking Israel. April 12th is another busy evening for the Iranian Foreign Minister, who spoke, among others, with the British Foreign Minister Cameron and the Australian Foreign Minister Wong. Then he also spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan. Iran may refuse to respond to Israel’s attack on the Iranian consulate if the UN Security Council condemns the actions of the Israeli authorities – source Iran’s mission to the UN – The Iranian Foreign Minister has however rejected any attempt to mediation and states that the countries “should have condemned Israeli aggression when they had the chance” and that punishment was absolutely necessary.
The Biden administration expects Iran to respond to Israel in the coming days, starting this weekend.
Fearing Iranian attacks, the US Embassy in Israel ordered its employees in Israel and their families not to leave the Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beersheba areas for personal travel. France, India and the United Kingdom have asked their citizens to return to their countries of origin due to rising tensions between Iran and Israel.
According to the Washington Post: “The U.S. Secretary of Defense and other Pentagon officials expressed disappointment that Israel did not inform the United States in advance of the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1.” The frustration was expressed to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in a telephone conversation two days after the attack. The Pentagon believes that Israel should have informed them in advance, which would have ensured that the defense systems of US forces in the region were improved and that warships were ready to intercept threats that could have been directed against Israel and military forces Americans. The Pentagon says that not having been informed in advance of the attack increases the risk to American troops in the area.
Still on the subject of the threat to Israel from Iran, Kuwait and Qatar have apparently notified the United States that their bases cannot be used for attacks against Iran. According to Reuters, the entire Middle East is now ripe for an attack by Iran. Iranian officials themselves have issued threatening statements: “After our response to the enemy, there will no longer be any state called Israel on the map.”
“Intelligence agencies are monitoring two ships belonging to the IRGC Navy in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, which have the capability to launch cruise missiles and UAVs” – Sky News Arabia.
The Israeli Air Force conducted joint exercises with Cyprus to simulate an attack on Iran. The exercise involved long-range exercises and an attack on a distant target in coordination with the Cypriot National Guard and the US Army.
The US Navy moves the CVN 69 Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier closer to Israel, probably to intercept Iranian missiles.
Senator Marco Rubio, who is also a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Iran intends to launch a “full-scale attack against Israel from its own territory” and that Israel will respond with an even larger attack on Iranian territory.
For British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak: “Iran’s threats are unacceptable and we, like the Americans, fully support Israel’s right to defend itself against them.”
The words of the Israeli news agency Ynet put a stop to the declarations of an escalation: “Iran postponed its attack against Israel until the last minute. However, an attack is still possible.”
On the militia side we learn that Turkish resources report that the brigades specialized in urban combat of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces have been ordered to prepare to attack US bases in Syria and Iraq if “the United States makes a mistake”.
Ynet says the IDF and Mossad have approved a plan to attack Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will hold security consultations with Defense Ministers Galant and former Defense Minister Gantz, as well as with senior security officials on the Iranian threat and regional tensions.
On April 12, Israeli channel 14 declared: “The United States has deployed a missile ship with high defensive and interception capabilities near the coast of Israel.”
Hamas returns to talking about negotiations and says that the key to any agreement is based on a permanent ceasefire. The spokesman for the Islamic resistance movement Hamas, Abdul Latif Al-Qanou, confirmed that “the key to any agreement with the Zionist enemy entity is based on a permanent ceasefire.”
From Yemen, the Al-Masirah correspondent in Saada reports on renewed artillery bombardment by Saudi Arabia on the Al-Sheikh area in the border district of Munabbih. The French newspaper Le Figaro reports that the frigate Alsace (FREMM) withdraws from the Red Sea due to the high risk of a Houthi attack. In the Red Sea on the night between 11 and 12 April there was a new Yemeni attack on American forces.
The US military said it intercepted an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from an area controlled by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group in Yemen. This came a day after American forces announced the downing of 11 drones in the Gulf of Aden, deeming these drones posed “an imminent threat to American, coalition and commercial vessels in the region.”
And now a look at the front between Israel and Hamas updated at 4:00 pm on April 12th.
Israeli planes have launched a raid with a guided missile on the valley of the city of Hanin, south of Lebanon. The night before, the Islamic Resistance claimed responsibility for an attack on the Al-Sammaqa site in the occupied Lebanese hills of Kafr Shuba.
On the afternoon of April 12, renewed Israeli bombings confirmed by the Al-Mayadeen correspondent: on the outskirts of the cities of Khiam and Markaba in the south. Hezbollah targets Israeli website “Miskav Am”. The Masgav General website was also hit.
Renewed bombings and assaults by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip. Dead and injured in the Israeli bombing of the house of the police director in Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip.
The area most affected on April 12 was the center of the Gaza Strip. The army announced the start of a new aggression against the Nuseirat camp. According to Hamas: “The intense shelling of residential neighborhoods in the Nuseirat camp lasted for two days and targeted civilian structures and citizens’ homes, causing dozens of deaths and injuries.” A surface-to-air missile – from the resistance – was launched from the Gaza Strip against a helicopter in the airspace north of Nusirat. 29 Palestinians were killed following the Israeli bombing of a house in central Gaza.
According to the IDF: As part of the operation, the Nahal Brigade carried out targeted raids on several buildings used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad and located infrastructure. The forces located and neutralized several large armed explosive charges that were hidden in the classrooms and courtyard of the “Ibrahim Al-Makhadmeh” school in the center of the Gaza Strip. Additionally, soldiers identified an observation post used by Hamas for attack activities and threats to IDF soldiers.
As part of the operation, the Nahal Brigade carried out targeted raids on several buildings used by the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations and identified terrorist infrastructure. The forces located and neutralized several large armed explosive charges that were hidden in the classrooms and courtyard of the “Ibrahim Al-Makhadmeh” school in the center of the Gaza Strip.
Additionally, soldiers identified an observation post used by the terrorist organization Hamas for terrorist activities and threats to IDF soldiers.
The Islamic Resistance also claims attack at 6pm on Thursday 11 April in Bayad Blida with missile weapons
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades claim responsibility for attacks in the southern Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian sources, two Israeli raids were recorded in the Al-Zinna area, east of the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip
The Israeli army and special units are on high alert south-east of Nablus after the disappearance of an Israeli settler due to fears of kidnapping. Two deaths among Palestinians registered in Tubas, Tammoun and Al-Fara’a. Clashes were reported south of Jenin and several West Bank cities were stormed. Arrests among Palestinians at the hands of Israel.
A citizen Khaled Kamel Abu Khater was killed after being targeted by Israeli drones northeast of Rafah.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
