After the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Iran threatened to retaliate. On Tuesday it fired ballistic missiles at Israel – as it had already done earlier this year in April. The Israeli Iron Dome air defence system was, however, able to intercept most of the projectiles. Israeli Army spokesman Daniel Hagari has announced ‘consequences’, while US government sources have indicated that talks are being held with Israel regarding an appropriate response. Commentators also discuss what comes next.
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Tehran’s hardliners up the stakes
Iran is risking a major war in the Middle East, Die Presse writes:
“The Iranian leadership knew full well that an Israeli response would follow. But after the Israeli air strike in Beirut in which Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and apparently also a high-ranking Iranian officer were killed, the hardliners in the regime were no longer willing to wait. Their thirst for revenge had to be quenched. At the same time they feared that after all the successful Israeli operations against their allies they would start to lose face. But now, with their attack on Israel they’ve raised the stakes in their power game – and that could also prove dangerous for them.”
The mullahs are lashing out
This is a show of weakness rather than strength by Iran, The Daily Telegraph comments:
“Humiliated by the decapitation of their proxy, Hezbollah, the mullahs are lashing out – but they are showing impotence, not strength; incompetence, not skill. … This feeble, petulant response by Iran is not even in the same league [as Israel’s attacks in Lebanon]. All it has achieved, given that it has been launched in response to actions against Hezbollah, is to underline what everybody knows: that we should make no distinction between Iran’s proxies and its Revolutionary Guards Corps. Hezbollah is in effect an Iranian army of occupation in Lebanon, and the sooner the people of Lebanon can be liberated from it, the better.”
The showdown is in full swing
The latest developments raise two key questions, says La Repubblica:
“The first concerns Tehran. The decision to fire missiles at Israel has been taken twice in the last five months by the Supreme Leader. … But does it really represent the will of the entire Shiite regime or does it reveal a strategic weakening of the theocracy, which is grappling with an ailing economy and an unstoppable women’s revolt against the hijab? The second question concerns Israel. After putting Hezbollah and Hamas on the defensive for the first time in 18 years, will it seize the opportunity to attack Iranian military bases and nuclear facilities, or will it opt for the de-escalation outgoing US President Joe Biden has called for? … The showdown between the Jewish state and Shiite Iran is in full swing.”
Madness has free rein
For taz, the war has long since gotten out of control:
“In the past few days there have been Israeli air strikes on Syria and threats against Iran, while Israel has been hit by drone attacks from Yemen, Iraq and other neighbouring states. Radical Islamists are prophesying the imminent self-destruction of Israel – zealots in Israel are distributing maps of a Greater Israel that extends from the Nile to the Iranian border. The madness has free rein. The world is looking on, powerless, as a tragedy unfolds. The end is still open. Soon it could be too late.”
US involvement increasingly likely
Večernji list fears the conflict will escalate:
“Many analysts have warned that the Israeli prime minister’s goal is to draw Iran into the conflict and thus provoke US involvement. … If Iran continues its attacks on Israeli targets and Israel requests military assistance, the US could become actively involved and send military personnel and equipment to Israel. The US army could carry out attacks on Iranian targets and Nato could be called upon to support Israel. US involvement would quickly escalate the conflict, perhaps with global consequences. Iran could respond with attacks on US bases in the region.”
The EU can show leadership
An important task awaits Brussels, NRC explains:
“The US’s lack of a clear stance could present an opportunity for the European Union. Opinions about Israel are divided within the EU. But more diplomatic involvement on Europe’s part is urgently needed, especially now that the situation in Lebanon is escalating and the drama in Gaza continues. The EU is Israel’s largest trading partner and has a little more credibility in the region than the US. By threatening new sanctions and actively applying diplomatic pressure on the main players, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell can do what the US has refrained from doing for years: show leadership.”