Tension is rising noticeably in the Middle East. According to the agency Bloombergwhich cites “close” to American intelligence, it would be increasingly likely that Iran or its allies would carry out a “massive attack” on Israel, as Tehran continues its threats of retaliation after a deadly strike against the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria
The American media mentions drone or missile strikes which could potentially be sent in the coming days. It is “no longer a question of if but when” this attack will take place, an anonymous source told Bloomberg.
A sign that the situation is heating up significantly in the region, the German airline Lufthansa announced on Wednesday the suspension of its flights to and from Tehran, probably until Thursday, “because of the current situation in the Middle East”.
“Unwavering” support from Washington
This Wednesday, Joe Biden reaffirmed that his support for Israel was “unwavering”. Iran “is threatening to launch a significant attack against Israel,” the American president said during a joint press conference at the White House with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
“As I told Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel’s security, in the face of these threats from Iran and its allies, is unwavering,” he added. “I repeat: unwavering. We will do everything we can to protect Israel’s security,” Joe Biden continued.
The comment comes at a time of strong tension between the American president and the head of the Israeli government, Joe Biden having for example publicly judged that Benjamin Netanyahu was making a “mistake” in Gaza.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei assured on Wednesday that Israel would be “punished” after a deadly attack attributed to it on April 1 in Syria. The strike destroyed the Iranian consulate in Damascus and left 16 dead, including seven members of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, according to an NGO.
Iran had already promised to respond to this strike which further exacerbated regional tensions against a backdrop of war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas, supported by Iran. The Americans, for their part, assured that they had “nothing to do” with this attack.