Politics Media: Iran plans "fierce and complex" attack on Israel

The situation in the Middle East could escalate further following Israel's retaliatory strike against Iran. According to a media report, the government in Tehran is planning another attack on Israel.

The US newspaper "The Wall Street Journal" (WSJ) quoted an Egyptian official who had been informed of the plans as saying that the retaliation would be "fierce and complex". In a new attack, missiles with larger warheads would be used than in the previous attack on October 1, the WSJ reported, citing Iranian and Arab informants.

In addition to the Revolutionary Guards, the regular armed forces would also be deployed. Four Iranian soldiers and one civilian were killed in the most recent Israeli attack on Iran. "Our military has lost soldiers, so it must respond," the WSJ quoted an Iranian official as saying. Iran could launch the new attack from Iraq and it will be "much more aggressive than last time".

More than twice as many attacks on Israel by pro-Iranian militias in Iraq

According to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), pro-Iranian militias in Iraq more than doubled their attacks on Israel from September to October. If the attacks are not halted, the Israeli military could attack over 30 already identified targets in Iraq, reported the Arabic-language news site "Elaph" from the UK.

However, according to the WSJ, Iran does not want to influence the US election with its counter-attack. The attack will therefore come after the vote on Tuesday, but before the inauguration of the future head of state of the United States next January, the Iranian official told the US newspaper. The US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, threatened Iran with severe consequences in the event of a new attack on Israel. "We believe this should be the end of direct exchanges of fire between Israel and Iran," she said.

Washington warns: cannot persuade Israel to show further restraint

According to media reports, the government in Washington recently warned Iran of another attack on Israel. If Tehran were to attack Israel again as announced, Washington would hardly be able to persuade the government in Jerusalem to exercise restraint, reported the US news website "Axios". The warning was a rare contact between the two hostile countries, the USA and Iran.

Israel had attacked several military installations and the air defense system in Iran on 26 October. This was in response to an attack by Iran with around 200 missiles at the beginning of October. Several high-ranking officials and military officers in Iran had recently said that the Israeli attack would not go unanswered.

Sharmahd's daughter calls for all relations with Iran to be severed

According to his daughter, the German government's reaction to the execution of the German-Iranian Djamshid Sharmahd has "naturally not" been sufficient. All relations with the government in Tehran must be broken off, said Gazelle Sharmahd in an interview with the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). She wonders why the closure of the three Iranian consulates announced by the German government did not take place four years ago. "Why did we wait until my father was dead?" The Iranian judiciary announced Sharmahd's execution last Monday. He was sentenced to death in spring 2023 in a controversial trial following allegations of terrorism. The German government, relatives and human rights activists rejected the accusations against him.

Authorities: Hospitals in Lebanon damaged after shelling

Hospitals in Lebanon have again been damaged as a result of Israeli air strikes. At least ten people were injured in the shelling of the government hospital in Tebnine in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Airstrikes near the government hospital in Baalbek in the east of the country caused material damage to the clinic. The hospital was overcrowded with patients and the wounded, it said. The Ministry of Health reported that two paramedics had been killed in an attack in southern Lebanon. They were part of the Hezbollah rescue service.

SDA