Joe Biden warns Iran against attack on Israel, Lufthansa halts flights over conflicted countries | Top 10 Updates

Israel-Iran Tensions: United States President Joe Biden expects Iran's attack on Israel to come "sooner rather than later", warning the Middle Eastern country "don't", as per a Reuters report on April 13. Biden reiterated Washington's commitment to defend Israel and warned Iran that it "will not succeed".

"We are devoted to the defence of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed," he said. When asked what his message to Iran is, Biden replied "Don't", referring to the expected attack.

As tensions in the region mount, we take a look at the top 10 developments on the Iran-Israel issue.

Top 10 Updates

- US President Joe Biden expects Iran to attack Israel "sooner rather than later", warning Tehran to not proceed. White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters the attack is "imminent" and a "real and viable threat". Kirby however did not give any details and said the US is "looking to posture its force in the region" amid Tehran's threats. he added that the US is "watching the situation very closely".

- Israel has been on high alert since April 12 about retaliation from Iran and its proxies after it attacked Iran's embassy in Damascus (Syria) last week. The attack on April 1 claimed the lives of one commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' overseas Quds Force and six other officers. While Israel has not claimed responsibility, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Israel "must be punished" for what he said was an attack equivalent to an attack on Iranian soil.

- Multiple countries have issued warnings advising their citizens to avoid travel to the broader region. This includes France, India, Poland and Russia. Germany has asked its citizens in Iran to leave the country.

- Israel on April 12 said it has opened a new crossing for aid trucks to reach northern Gaza, but the United Nations has noted there is not much progress in reaching besieged civilians because of "persistent distribution difficulties", Reuters reported. Over 1 million people in conflict-torn Gaza are facing starvation, while Israeli offensives have killed over 33,600 Palestinians and wounded more than 76,200.

- German airline Lufthansa on April 12 said it is halting flight paths over Iranian airspace, and extended a suspension of flights to and from the Iranian capital city of Tehran, AFP reported. Its subsidiary Austrian Airlines has also followed suit. "Due to the current situation, Lufthansa is suspending its flights to and from Tehran up to and including Thursday, April 18. The airline is also no longer using Iranian airspace," a company spokesperson said. Lufthansa's flights to Tehran have been suspended since April 6.

- Police in Berlin interrupted and cancelled a pro-Palestine conference soon after it started, citing a risk of speech by a speaker banned from any political activity and imposed ban till Sunday, Al Jazeera reported. "At the 'Palestine Congress', a speaker was connected who is banned from political activity. There is a risk that a speaker, who has made anti-Semitic or violence-glorifying public statements in the past, will be called in repeatedly. Therefore, the meeting was terminated and a ban was also imposed for Saturday and Sunday. Due to legal reviews in connection with speeches, the live stream of the meeting will be temporarily blocked by switching off the power. We ask for your patience," the police posted on X. Berlin police said they had dispatched 930 officers, including reinforcements from other regions of Germany, to secure the event. This comes amid mounting pressure on the German lawmakers to review weapons supplies to Israel amid the war in Gaza.

- Dozens of angry Israeli settlers stormed into a Palestinian village in the Israel-occupied West Bank on April 12, shooting and setting houses and cars on fire in a rampage that killed one Palestinian man and wounded 25 others, AP reported. The deceased has been identified as 26-year-old Jehad Abu Alia. Palestinian health officials say over 460 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces since the conflict erupted in October last year.

- Lebanese armed militia Hezbollah, known to be backed by Iran, fired rockets towards northern Israel on April 12, ANI reported. The projectiles were intercepted by Israel's "iron dome", some impacted open areas and some fell in Lebanon. IDF said 40 missiles were fired, and no immediate injuries were reported. Hezbollah said its attacks were in support of Gaza amid the war with Hamas, The Times of Israel reported.

- The financial world was roiled by a flare-up in geopolitical risks that sent stocks sliding — while spurring a flight to the safest corners of the market such as bonds and the dollar. Oil rose. Equities saw their worst day since January after a news report that Israel was bracing for an attack by Iran on government targets. To Matt Maley at Miller Tabak, investors have been much too complacent about geopolitical issues. A confrontation between Israel and Iran would mean a significant escalation of the Middle East conflict and would lead to a significant rise in oil prices, according to Commerzbank analysts including Carsten Fritsch.

- Despite the continuous rally in the US dollar rates and the US Treasury yield, gold prices finished higher for the fourth week in a row. The MCX gold rate registered over ₹1,000 per 10 gm on Friday and touched a fresh high of ₹73,461 per 10 gm mark. As per commodity market experts, gold and silver prices are skyrocketing because of escalating tension in the Middle East on the Iran-Israel war. Anuj Gupta, Head of Commodity & Currency at HDFC Securities said, “The primary reason for skyrocketing gold and silver prices can be attributed to the Iran-Israel war news. The White House has issued a statement that Iran may attack Israel sooner than later, which has escalated the Middle East tension. That's why gold prices and other precious metal prices are skyrocketing despite the rise in the US dollar rates and the US Treasury yields."

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Published: 13 Apr 2024, 09:53 AM IST