Strike of the East: Israel does not set a framework for an operation in Iran
Israel will conduct a military operation against Iran for as long as necessary, IDF spokeswoman Anna Ukolova told Izvestia. Currently, the Jewish state does not see an opportunity for a diplomatic resolution of the conflict with Tehran. Israel intends to continue the operation until the enemy abandons the creation of nuclear weapons, said the country's ambassador to Russia, Simona Halperin. Following three days of air attacks, Tehran reports more than 1,8 thousand injured and over 220 dead, while Israel reports at least 24 victims on its territory. The Russian embassy recommended that the compatriots leave the Jewish state until the situation stabilizes.
Israel will continue its operation in Iran
Israel does not set a time frame for an operation in Iran, Simona Halperin, the Jewish state's ambassador to Moscow, said at a briefing.
"Israel is attacking those facilities and individuals who run Iran's nuclear program and Israel's destruction program, and those who pose a military threat to Israel,— the diplomat said, answering a question from Izvestia.
Israel launched a military operation against Iran on the night of June 13. Its targets were nuclear infrastructure facilities, enriched uranium reserves, air defense systems, tactical missiles and UAVs of the Islamic Republic. In addition, Israeli forces have killed several Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an interview with ABC News, did not rule out a scenario in which he would attempt to assassinate Iran's supreme leader Khamenei. When asked if the Ayatollah would be the target of Israeli operations, he replied that Israel was "doing what is necessary."
Since then, more than 250 targets and over 720 military infrastructure components have been attacked in Iran. On the evening of June 15, the IDF reported that the military had managed to launch the farthest strike since the beginning of the operation against an Iranian tanker aircraft at Mashhad airport in eastern Iran. It is located about 2.3 thousand km from Israel. The Israel Defense Forces claims to have destroyed a third of Iran's existing missile launchers.
On June 16, Israel killed eight Iranian soldiers. Tehran claims more than 220 dead and over 1,8 thousand injured. The IDF also attacked the headquarters of the Iranian state television. It was also reported that the head of the Ruptly video agency's office in Tehran received a warning from the authorities about the impending Israeli strike. Amid the ongoing attacks, the IDF also announced a new strike on southern Lebanon.
At the same time, as the ambassador notes, Israel does not strike at civilian infrastructure facilities. In this regard, the authorities of the Jewish state advised Iranians living near nuclear facilities to evacuate. According to Simone Halperin, Israel is expanding the targets and capabilities of strikes on a daily basis.
In response to Israel's special operation, Iran began sending drones towards the Jewish state, promising a harsh response. The Islamic Republic has launched several dozen drones, in addition, the aerospace forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) actively used hypersonic missiles on the night of June 16.
— Over the past three days, Iran has launched about 200 rockets at Israeli cities. Most were intercepted by air defense systems, but a few hit residential buildings. To date, we have 24 dead. And these are all civilians of different ages," IDF spokeswoman Anna Ukolova told Izvestia. — It's scary to think how many lives these missiles could have taken if it hadn't been for our air defenses and if it hadn't been for the discipline of the Israelis who are fleeing in bomb shelters. The Iranian leaders have always talked about their desire to destroy Israel, but we cannot allow them to do so. We will act as long as it takes to bring Israel back to safety.
Reaction to the escalation in the Middle East
Against the background of massive attacks on Israeli territory, the Russian embassy recommended that compatriots leave the country until the situation normalizes. The diplomatic mission offered to use a land border crossing to Egypt. According to diplomats, in three days, the embassy's hotline received more than 600 calls and about 300 emails from Russians.
From the first day of the conflict, Russia condemned Israel's actions and offered to mediate in its negotiations with Iran. According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, Tehran is acting within the framework of its right to self-defense in this situation.
The UN also called on the parties to exercise restraint. At a meeting on June 14, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that "peace and diplomacy must prevail." According to Izvestia, the permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations has not yet received a request to hold a new meeting of the Security Council on the Iranian issue, however, such a meeting can be organized if necessary.
During a telephone conversation on June 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a settlement of issues related to the Iranian nuclear program.
— Russia can act as an intermediary, because we have good relations with both sides. Our agreement with Iran does not imply that we are obligated to intervene directly on its side. In general, the situation is destabilizing the region, and the balance of power has changed significantly in recent years, and not in favor of Iran. Relations with Israel are also valuable for Russia, so it would be enough to limit oneself to the role of intermediaries," orientalist Ilya Vedeneev told Izvestia.
At the same time, Israel is not yet considering the possibility of returning to a diplomatic resolution of the conflict. The priority of the Jewish state is to destroy the intentions, desire and possibility of producing nuclear weapons in Iran, the ambassador claims.
— Israel does not want and is not going to sit down at the negotiating table with the authorities in Iran. Netanyahu said that this is an enemy regime that must be destroyed. And naturally, there is no need to talk about any prospect of negotiations between Israel and Iran," Farhad Ibragimov, an orientalist and lecturer at the RUDN University Faculty of Economics, explained to Izvestia.
The future of Iran's nuclear program
Prior to the start of the Israeli military operation, Tehran and Washington held five rounds of direct talks on the issue of Iran's nuclear program. The sixth meeting was scheduled to take place on June 15 in Muscat, the capital of Oman, but Iran refused to participate, accusing Israel and the United States of disrupting the dialogue.
— Tehran believes that without Washington's support, Israel would not have behaved so aggressively, so there can be no talk of any negotiations now. Moreover, Trump insists that Iran cannot have any nuclear program by definition, and the Iranians do not abandon their principles," says Farhad Ibragimov. — Yes, they are not going to develop nuclear weapons, but the nuclear program must be preserved.
US President Donald Trump
Iran's return to negotiations with the United States is possible only if Israel's attacks against Middle Eastern countries stop, President of the Islamic Republic Masoud Peseshkian said during a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
— The US Special Envoy [Steve Witkoff] at the negotiations on the nuclear deal told [Foreign Minister Abbas] Araqchi that Israel would not take any action without US permission, but before the start of a new round of negotiations, Israel attacked Iran, which shows that the US gave them permission to attack us. If the United States wants to resume negotiations, it must first stop Israel's aggression against the countries of the region," the Iranian president said.
According to sources in The Wall Street Journal, Iran is seeking to end the fighting and resume negotiations. Tehran allegedly sends these signals to Israel and the United States through intermediaries.
— One of the options for ending the current crisis is for Iran to conclude a new nuclear deal with the United States. The document will be signed under pressure and will become a de facto act of surrender with the abandonment of any serious activity in the nuclear field. Perhaps Iran will be forced to completely curtail its support for proxy groups in the region and its missile program," Nikolai Surkov, associate professor of Oriental Studies at the MGIMO Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Izvestia.
A return to the negotiating track is possible only if pressure on Iran stops. However, there is a high probability that hostilities may resume if negotiations reach an impasse.
Despite diplomatic statements from the Iranian leadership, a return to negotiations with the United States is still unlikely, Farhad Ibrahimov believes. In his opinion, even in the office of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, there is a belief that the United States has been deceiving Tehran for a long time. Complicating the situation is the fact that many people, both military and civilians, have died as a result of Israeli attacks.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
