Iran has indicated that its expected retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Hamas and Hizbullah leaders could be scrapped if a Gaza ceasefire is clinched at talks due to resume on Thursday in Qatar.
Reuters quoted three senior Iranian officials as saying Tehran would hold back from direct retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on its soil if there was a breakthrough in the talks. One of the sources, a senior Iranian security official, said Iran, along with allies such as Hizbullah, would launch a direct attack if the truce talks failed or it perceived Israel was dragging out negotiations.
The Washington Post reported that Iran fears Israel and the US might target its nuclear programme. A source with ties to Hizbullah said: “The Iranians and their allies are treading cautiously,” and Iran “does not want to expand the war”.
Iran dismissed the joint call from France, Germany, and Britain urging restraint regarding Israel, calling their stance “illogical” and contrary to international law. Tehran accused the three western states of ignoring Israeli “crimes” and affirmed its resolve to deter Israel, urging them to oppose the war in Gaza.
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US secretary of state Antony Blinken is in the region and will hold talks in Qatar, Egypt and Israel ahead of the ceasefire talks. Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday denied a New York Times report that he had added new conditions to the Gaza ceasefire draft agreement, saying he had merely presented “essential clarifications”.
[ Diplomatic efforts continue to avert escalation of Gaza conflictOpens in new window ]
Meanwhile, Israeli forces remain on a top state of alert with planes in the air, including over Lebanon, although there have been no special instructions to the public. Fearing Iranian and Hizbullah rocket strikes, top museums in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have moved some of their most valuable art works to underground safe storage rooms.
Cyprus has completed preparations for a potential evacuation of foreigners from Lebanon and Israel, foreign minister Constantinos Kombos announced on Tuesday. He said Cyprus could accommodate a large number of people – including citizens of other EU countries and third-country nationals – provided they travelled on to their home countries in due time.
Israeli air strikes killed 19 Palestinians in the central and southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, medics said. One strike killed six people in Deir Al-Balah, including a mother and her twin four-day-old babies, while seven other Palestinians were killed in a strike on a house in the nearby Al-Bureij camp.
Two rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel on Tuesday: one landed in the sea off the Tel Aviv coast and the other fell short, landing inside the Gaza Strip. Hamas took responsibility for the rocket fire from the Khan Younis area, where Israeli forces are currently operating. It’s believed that Hamas may have decided to fire the projectiles believing they would shortly be discovered and destroyed by the advancing Israeli forces.
A group representing family members of Israeli hostages held in Gaza accused far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of preventing a deal and acting in a way that endangers the chance of returning the hostages. The criticism came after Mr Ben-Gvir on Tuesday visited the flashpoint Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City, revered by Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif Noble Sanctuary, to mark the Jewish fast day of Tisha B’Av.
The military wing of Hamas announced that its armed guards had killed a male hostage and seriously wounded another two female hostages, blaming what was described as Israeli “massacres” against Palestinians. The Israel Defense Forces said it could neither confirm nor deny the claim.
The 10 months of conflict continues to impact negatively on the Israeli economy. The Fitch credit ratings agency downgraded Israel’s credit rating from A+ to A, citing the war in Gaza and heightened geopolitical risks. The agency warned that the Gaza war could continue into 2025, leading to further economic damage, higher military spending and infrastructure destruction. – Additional reporting: Reuters
