“After us comes the West,” Warns Israeli Ambassador after the Iran Attack

The whole world is anxiously watching Israel and Iran after last week’s attack. In an interview with Magyar Nemzet, Yacov Hadas-Handelsman spoke about how Iran is trying to change relations in the Middle East. The diplomat noted that although the Gulf countries want prosperity and security, Tehran is trying to sabotage this and the rapprochement between Israel and the Arab countries.

The ambassador declared that the war was not initiated by Israel, however, it was imposed on them back in October, in the form of an attack by Hamas. “Hamas, along with Islamic Jihad, is Iran’s puppet, and Tehran has also equipped other puppets around us: Hezbollah in the north, the Houthis in Yemen. Everywhere there is Iranian activity, with a long history of terrorist attacks on Israeli Jewish targets. (…)

We are the first, followed by Western Christian societies and cultures,”

he stressed.

Yacov Hadas-Handelsman noted that Iran’s attack “violated the territorial integrity of one country, as well as many others, since Iran does not directly border Israel.” He also emphasized that they will defend their national and security interests. “We should not be told not to escalate the situation, but to force others to do so, because we did not initiate this war. We want peace, but there is a limit to what we will tolerate.”

On whether Israel can count on the U.S. and even other Arab countries, the ambassador noted that it is likely. “The rapprochement between Israel and the Gulf countries did not start three and a half years ago with the Abraham Accords, but rather it was the result of the fact that these Arab countries also understood that the current situation could not continue.”

“We are facing Gaza, and on the other front we have the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria – where President Assad is giving a free hand to launch attacks – Iraq, where there is also a pro-Iranian Shiite militia, and the Yemeni Islamists, who are also threatening us, but this is the least affected of all.

And last but not least, Iran. We are under attack from seven directions. But we have nowhere to go, we have to fight and we will fight,”

he concluded.

Last night Israel attacked Iran in response to last week’s strike.

U.S. officials also confirmed that Israel had carried out military operations against Iran, but did not elaborate on these operations.

Iranian state media reported explosions in the central province of Isfahan. The nuclear facilities in Isfahan are said to be completely safe and secure. According to a report in the British press, the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) in Tehran reported that air traffic was suspended throughout Iran on Friday, but the flight bans have since been lifted.

#BreakingNews: Reports of an #Israeli attack on an airbase near #Isfahan, #Iran.
The attack seems limited.#Iranian officials deny that explosions occurred on the ground.#IranIsraelConflict #IranAttackIsrael #IRGCterrorists #Israel #Hezbollah #Hamas pic.twitter.com/aZm3Q9V9iH

— Erez Neumark (@ErezNeumark) April 19, 2024

NBC News reported that the United States was not involved in Israel’s strike on Iran. Meanwhile, Bloomberg quotes two unnamed U.S. officials as saying that Israel warned the U.S. on Thursday that it planned to attack within the next day or two.

Iranian officials have told local press and Reuters that there was no successful missile strike and that the explosions were the result of Iran’s missile defense. Journalist Hossein Dalirian wrote:

There have been no airstrikes from outside the borders against Isfahan or other parts of the country.”

According to him, Israel only made a failed and humiliating attempt with the drones that were shot down.

John Brennan, former CIA Director, emphasized that escalation now depends on how much damage Israel has done to Iranian facilities, and how many casualties Israel has suffered.

Via Magyar Nemzet; Featured image via Facebook/Israel Defense Forces