The US Department of State issued a security alert Thursday for its staff and their families in Israel, limiting where they can go amid growing fears of an Iranian attack.
“Out of an abundance of caution, U.S. government employees and their family members cannot travel personally outside the areas of greater Tel Aviv (including Herzliya, Netanya and Even Yehuda), Jerusalem and Beersheba, until further notice,” he added. says the alert. “U.S. government personnel are permitted to transit between these three areas for personal travel.”
There was no reference in the alert to an imminent Iranian strike, but Tehran indicated it would retaliate for the April 1 attack on its consulate in Damascus, which killed seven senior Iranian army officers. It is widely believed that Israel launched this attack, although it has not claimed responsibility.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken contacted the foreign ministers of China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey last day “to make it clear that escalation is in no one's interest and that countries should urge Iran not to escalate,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. journalists Thursday.
With the war between Israel and Hamas still raging for more than six months, the US Embassy in Jerusalem is also urging US citizens to be aware of the risks of traveling to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, warning them against any visit to the besieged Palestinian territory.
“The security environment remains complex and can change rapidly depending on the political situation and recent events,” the alert said.
Israel to “flood Gaza with aid”:The war of words with Iran also intensifies
Developments:
∎ Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews demonstrated near a Jerusalem enlistment office, protesting a recent court ruling that “haredi” men will be conscripted for the first time since Israel's creation in 1948 .
∎ Israel is ready for military clashes beyond Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday, fearing that Iran is preparing to strike Israel. “Whoever hurts us, we will hurt them,” he said.
∎ The Israeli military said it launched a “precise, intelligence-driven operation to strike terrorist infrastructure and eliminate operatives in central Gaza” on Thursday night.
∎ Russia has urged Middle Eastern countries to exercise restraint to avoid “complete destabilization” of the region. Russia has also warned its citizens against traveling to the Middle East.
Iran says it must punish Israel because UN failed to condemn embassy attack
Tehran must retaliate for the deadly attack on its consular complex in Damascus last week because the UN Security Council failed to condemn the strike or take any action against Israel, Iran's UN mission said in a press release published Thursday on the X platform.
“If the UN Security Council had condemned the Zionist regime's reprehensible act of aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus and then brought its perpetrators to justice, the imperative for Iran to punish this rogue regime would have could have been avoided,” the statement said.
Despite its threats, Iran has indicated to the United States through an intermediary that it will respond in a way that avoids an escalation of hostilities with Israel and will not rush into it, Reuters reported. The United States has maintained that it was not involved in the attack and was not informed of it in advance.
Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the April 1 attack on an Iranian consulate annex building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Syria, which killed seven high-ranking Iranian military officers, including Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi of the elite Quds Force. Tensions between the nations have increased and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Wednesday that “the evil regime has made a mistake and must be punished.”
The top US commander for the Middle East reportedly arrived in Israel on Thursday for meetings with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and other senior defense officials to discuss an anticipated military response from Iran. Haaretz.com reported. Gen. Erik Kurilla's trip comes a day after Blinken spoke with Gallant and “reiterated U.S. support for Israel's security and made clear that the United States would stand with Israel against any threat from Iran and its proxies,” the State Department said in a statement. statement.
U.S. Central Command, in an email to USA TODAY, declined to confirm Kurilla's travel: “We do not discuss general officer travel for operational security reasons. »
Hamas official says ceasefire needed to account for hostages
A senior Hamas official on Thursday deflected questions from journalists fearing that many hostages were dead. The possibility gained momentum after Hamas said it was unsure whether it could provide 40 live Israeli civilian prisoners as part of a proposed ceasefire. Dr. Basem Naim, a member of the Hamas politburo, said a ceasefire agreement was necessary to provide time and security to collect information on captured Israelis. They are being held in different locations by different militant groups – and some are “under the rubble, killed with our own people” and heavy equipment is needed to find them, he said.
No one is asking questions about the thousands of Palestinians kidnapped by Israel since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war, he said.
“The most scandalous thing is the repeated questions regarding the hostages in Gaza, how many are alive or dead, did Hamas reject the proposal because it cannot release 40 hostages in the first phase, etc. ..”, he said in a statement published on Telegram. “The lives of their people are no more precious than ours.”
UNICEF humanitarian convoy hit by gunfire and pushed back from Gaza
A UNICEF convoy was hit by gunfire on Wednesday while trying to deliver aid to northern Gaza, the latest in a series of attacks. violent obstructions faced by aid workers in the enclave.
“The incident has been reported to the relevant Israeli authorities,” UNICEF said in a statement. “Unfortunately, humanitarians continue to face risks when providing lifesaving assistance. »
The incident occurred nine days after a World Central Kitchen aid convoy was attacked by Israeli rockets, killing seven workers – and on the same day. Israel has promised to significantly increase the flow of humanitarian aid in Gaza. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY on the incident.
UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram said Al Jazeera she was in one of the vehicles in a “waiting point” area at a checkpoint. She said three bullets hit the car where she was sitting. The mission had been authorized and Israeli authorities were aware of the convoy, Ingram said. After the shooting, Israeli authorities continued to delay the convoy and it was eventually forced to return to Rafah.
“So these vital supplies never reached the children of northern Gaza,” Ingram said.
Israeli commander presents aid plan to Red Cross and other agencies
The head of Israel's Southern Command, General Yaron Finkelman, met with representatives of UN agencies, the Red Cross, IMC, USAID and the US humanitarian coordinator as part of a “increased coordination and cooperation on the issue of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip,” he said. The Israeli army announced.
The meeting comes as Israel announced plans to significantly increase access to humanitarian aid for Gaza residents. Plans include a new border crossing designed to facilitate the flow of humanitarian supplies from abroad and from Jordan to the east.
“These advances have a direct impact on the flow of aid – we plan to flood Gaza with aid,” Gallant said. “It will also streamline security checks and strengthen our work with international partners. »
Contributor: Reuters
