Politics Israel and USA prepare for major attack by Iran

Following the killing of the political leader of Islamist Hamas in Tehran, Israel and the USA are preparing for retaliatory strikes by Iran and its allies. US President Joe Biden assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone of US support "against all threats from Iran", including its terrorist proxy groups, i.e. Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi in Yemen, the White House announced. Biden emphasized the importance of efforts to de-escalate the situation in the region.

Netanyahu warns Israel's enemies

Netanyahu had previously warned Iran and its allies against an attack. "We will demand a high price for any act of aggression against us, wherever it may come from," he said at a briefing with commanders, according to his office. According to media reports, the army has been put on high alert in anticipation of possible retaliatory strikes. Israel is in a state of maximum readiness, according to Netanyahu. The US news portal "Axios" reported, citing three US officials, that the American government is convinced that Iran will attack Israel in the coming days.

According to the terrorist organization, the foreign head of Hamas, Ismail Haniya, was deliberately killed in the Iranian capital on Wednesday night. It is not clear exactly how he was killed. Hamas holds Israel responsible, but Israel has not yet commented on the matter. Following a funeral service in Tehran on Thursday, Hanija is to be buried today in the Qatari capital Doha, where he had last lived in exile.

Hamas has called for a "day of rage" in the Israeli-occupied West Bank today. At the Muslim Friday prayers, Palestinians should first pray for Hanija in the mosques. "May marches of thunderous anger pour out of every mosque to denounce the cowardly crime of the assassination," the Islamists said in a statement.

The news of Haniya's death came just hours after an Israeli airstrike in a suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr. Iran and Hamas as well as Hezbollah are threatening Israel with retaliation. It is feared that there could be a coordinated large-scale attack on Israel by Iran, Hezbollah and other militias.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah sees a new phase of fighting in the Middle East. "We are in an open battle on all fronts that has entered a new phase," said the Hezbollah Secretary General in a video message at Shukr's funeral in Beirut. The enemy (Israel) must prepare for anger and revenge and "cry because you do not know which red lines you have crossed".

As Israel has to defend itself against missile and drone attacks, the phone call between US President Biden and Netanyahu was also about new US military aid for Israel, the White House said. No details were given. Vice President Kamala Harris also took part in the phone call, which according to Israeli sources lasted around 30 minutes.

Erdogan declares day of mourning

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared today a national day of mourning for the slain Hamas foreign leader Haniya. This is to express "our support for the Palestinian cause and our solidarity with our Palestinian brothers", Erdogan wrote on the X platform. He had previously condemned the attack and accused Israel of trying to start a regional war.

In a conversation with US President Biden, Erdogan said, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency, that Israel's government had proven at every step that it did not want a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and did not want peace. Rather, Israel is trying to spread the fire in Gaza to the entire region. The assassination of Haniya had "dealt a heavy blow" to efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, it was said.

Reports: Haniya killed by bomb in his room

The "New York Times" and the "Wall Street Journal" reported, citing informants, that Hanija had been killed in Tehran by a remotely detonated bomb. The assassins had managed to smuggle the explosive device into Hanija's room in a well-guarded guest house of the Revolutionary Guards, Iran's elite armed forces. The explosive device remained undetected for several weeks.

A bodyguard died in the attack along with Hanija. According to the reports, the attack was presented by the informants as the result of a catastrophic failure of the Iranian secret services and a huge embarrassment for the Revolutionary Guards.

Renewed fighting on Israel's northern border

In response to a suspected Israeli attack in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah reportedly fired dozens of rockets at Israel. The Israeli military stated that some had been intercepted, the rest had fallen on open ground. There were no casualties. Shortly after the attacks, the Hezbollah launch site in the south of Lebanon was bombed by Israel's air force, it added.

According to Lebanese reports, at least four people had previously been killed in an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military did not comment on this at first.

For security reasons, Lufthansa has canceled its flights to Beirut and Tel Aviv for the next few days. The ban applies to all of the Group's airlines and to cargo and passenger aircraft alike, according to a company spokesperson. The Lufthansa Group also includes Swiss, Austrian, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings.