A Declaration of Middle East War By James Reed
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, took time away from lamenting about the climate change apocalypse, alleged, to say that the Middle East is erupting into a "devastating full-scale conflict." In the old days they used to call that "war," and in fact, that is exactly what Israel's president Isaac Herzog has called Iran's 350 missile and drone attack. Figures vary, but it seems that over 90 percent of the missiles and drones were destroyed; so it is said. But Iran has plenty more where that came from. Israel has said that, naturally enough, it will retaliate, but nothing is publicly known about this, which is obvious. We do know that the US will not being engaging in the counterattack, not wanting a direct war with Iran; it will support Israel with weapons and the like, and a Biden call to Prime Minister Netanyahu, conveyed this, probably deliberately leaked.
So, how will this play out? Israel, will I think, not "take the win," and will strike back at some point. Then Iran, to maintain honour, will fire more missiles. This exchange could go on for some time. As we have observed, there is a worry that if Iran gets desperate, and it is an apocalyptic regime, it may launch a full-on attack upon Israel's nuclear weapons making site, the Negev Nuclear Research Center, Dimona. That is, if there are successful strikes. I would anticipate that after the failure of 350 missiles to do much, the numbers will be increased many folds to aim to overwhelm the Iron Dome defence system. Whatever happens, the Middle East will never be the same, and full-on kinetic war is just a matter of time.
The ramifications for world oil supplies and trade are enormous, with a full-scale war on the near horizon.
"Israel has described Iran's unprecedented 350-missile attack as a 'declaration of war' and confirmed it has approved plans for 'offensive and defensive action'.
The country's president Isaac Herzog insisted that Israel did not want a war but suggested they would retaliate after Iran's audacious airstrike early on Sunday.
He said it was 'about time the world faces this empire of evil in Tehran' and makes it clear that its behaviour is 'unacceptable'.
President Herzog told Sky News: 'It's a declaration of war... we are considering all options and I'm quite confident we will take the necessary steps to protect and defend our people.'
Tehran had signalled that an attack was coming in retaliation for an airstrike on its diplomatic compound in Damascus, Syria, that killed two top Iranian generals earlier this month.
IDF Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari accused Iran of trying to 'ignite the Middle East and escalate the region' by firing 60 tonnes of suicide drones, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and rockets at Israel overnight - but insisted his army was on 'high alert'.
'Over the last two hours, we approved operational plans for both offensive and defensive action,' he told reporters on Sunday. 'We will continue to protect the State of Israel, and together with our partners, we will continue to build a more secure and stable future for the entire Middle East.'
The IDF spokesman said Iran's plan had 'failed' - as he praised the response from the 'regional alliance' which helped down '99 per cent' of the missiles fired. He did not elaborate on the approved plans, but it came after a meeting of Israel's war cabinet.
Leaders of the G7 - including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak - also held talks on Sunday in which they 'unequivocally' condemned Iran's attack on Israel and warned that the risk of an 'uncontrollable regional escalation' must be avoided.
In a joint statement following an urgent call, countries including the UK and US said they 'stand ready to take further measures now and in response to further destabilising initiatives'.
Despite the strong message, President Joe Biden has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US will not support any counter-attack.
A senior White House official told Axios that Biden told Netanyahu: 'You got a win. Take the win'. And White House national security spokesman John Kirby told NBC: 'We don't seek a war with Iran. We're not looking for escalation here,'
The G7 statement released shortly after the talks on Sunday afternoon said: 'We, the leaders of the G7, unequivocally condemn in the strongest terms Iran's direct and unprecedented attack against Israel.
'Iran fired hundreds of drones and missiles towards Israel. Israel, with the help of its partners, defeated the attack. We express our full solidarity and support to Israel and its people and reaffirm our commitment towards its security.
'With its actions, Iran has further stepped toward the destabilisation of the region and risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation. This must be avoided.'
Leaders from the Group of Seven advanced economies, which comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the US, demanded Iran and its proxies 'cease their attacks,' adding: 'We stand ready to take further measures now and in response to further destabilising initiatives.'
The statement continued: 'We will also strengthen our co-operation to end the crisis in Gaza, including by continuing to work towards an immediate and sustainable ceasefire and the release of hostages by Hamas, and deliver increased humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in need.'
Netanyahu's war cabinet favours a retaliation against Iran for its mass drone and missile attack but is divided over the timing and scale of any such response, according to Reuters.
The five-member cabinet, in which Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz have decision-making powers, was expected to convene again for further discussions after meeting on Sunday.
Hagari also told reporters on Sunday: 'Together we thwarted Iran's attack... This was the first time that such a coalition worked together against the threat of Iran and its proxies in the Middle East.'
'Iran launched over 350 threats, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, rockets and suicide drones towards Israel and also other countries in the region could have got that threat on the way.'
Speaking to Sky News, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said: 'There is an empire of evil in Tehran which has its proxies laid all over the region and terror cells all over the world, and it's about time that the world faces this empire of evil in Tehran and makes it clear to the Iranian regime that this cannot pass by.
'Everyone should look at this and ask 'what would we do, had we been attacked in such an aggressive way?'
He also said: 'Israel has undertaken all the necessary steps to block this attack, which was a violent, flagrant violation of all the rules.
'I am happy we are part of an incredible coalition of nations which has been part of preventing most of these missiles and weapons and drones from coming into Israel. Our air defence system has proven incredibly successful.
'We are here to protect Europe. Thank god for the Israeli military and its allies and also thanks to the British forces.'
Asked about the global warnings not to escalate, he said: 'The last thing Israel is seeking in this region is to go to war. We are seeking peace, we are peace-seekers."
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