Syria intercept Israeli missile attack

Syrian air defense systems successfully intercepted an Israeli missile attack early Saturday, according to the state-run Sana news agency.

The strikes targeted military sites in the southern and central regions of Syria, with the assault commencing around 2300 GMT.

Missiles were reportedly launched from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and parts of Lebanon. Military sources indicated that several missiles were shot down, although efforts are ongoing to assess the full impact of the attack. There has been no immediate information regarding casualties or damage.

In a related development, Israel announced early Saturday that its military had conducted "precise strikes" against military targets in Iran.

Explosions were heard in Tehran as Israeli army spokesman Rear Adm. Danial Hagari confirmed that the Israel Defense Forces were targeting sites in Tehran, Meshed, and a power station in Karaj. 

Condemnation of Israeli attack on Iran

It may not be wrong to say that Israel having killed thousands in Gaza and Lebanon is now attacking Iran directly with regular intervals. One can say with complete confidence that Israel is doing all this under the patronage of United States. It is worth noting that some of the Muslim countries have condemned Saturday’s attack on Iran, with the request to apply restraint.   

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel’s attacks on Iran as a violation of the country’s sovereignty and a violation of international laws and norms.

“The Kingdom affirms its firm position in its rejection of the continued escalation in the region and the expansion of the conflict that threatens the security and stability of the countries and peoples of the region,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Riyadh also urged all parties to “exercise the utmost restraint and reduce escalation”, warning of the ramifications of continuing military conflicts in the region.

Malaysia

Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry also released a statement in response to Israel’s overnight attacks, labelling the strikes a “clear violation of international law” that “seriously undermine regional security”.

“Malaysia calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and an end to the cycle of violence,” the statement said.

The Foreign Ministry added that Israel’s continued attacks on countries in the Middle East is bringing the region closer to the brink of a wider war.

Iraq

Iraqi Shia cleric and head of National Wisdom Movement, Ammar Hakim, has strongly condemned recent Israeli attacks on Iranian cities, expressing solidarity with the Iranian people, their leadership, and government.

Hakim urged the international community to unite in countering the spread of Israeli influence, which he argued violates international charters and norms. He warned that Israel’s actions threaten to escalate conflicts, extending violence beyond Palestine and Lebanon into Syria, Iran, and other nations.

Hakim called on the United Nations and the Security Council to take decisive action to prevent Israel’s behavior from further destabilizing the region.

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Pakistan

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif stated on Saturday that Pakistan firmly condemns Israel's recent aggression against Iran and stands with Iran and its neighbors in their pursuit of peace.

He also called on all parties involved to exercise restraint to prevent further escalation. On his social media platform X, the prime minister posted, “Deeply concerned by the recent act of Israeli aggression against Iran. Such actions threaten regional peace and stability and violate sovereignty and international law.”

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Kuwait

Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a strong condemnation of Israel’s recent military action against Iran, describing it as part of a broader policy aimed at destabilizing the region through violations of national sovereignty.

In a statement released Saturday, the ministry highlighted that Israel’s aggression against Iran exemplifies a disruptive approach that endangers the security of the entire region and disregards international laws and norms.

The ministry called on the international community and the UN Security Council to take responsibility in curbing these actions, which threaten the region’s future and the welfare of its people. It emphasized the importance of decisive steps to uphold regional security and stability, grounded in international laws and treaties.

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United Arab Emirates 

The UAE has strongly condemned Israel’s military strikes on Iran, and expressed its deep concern over the continued escalation and its repercussions on security and stability in the region.
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Oman

Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned Israel’s recent attack on Iranian territory, calling it a blatant violation of Iran’s sovereignty and international law.

The ministry stated that Israel’s latest act of aggression attempted to target military sites in Tehran province early Saturday, but the assault reportedly failed to achieve its objectives. This incident, it noted, is part of a broader pattern of Israeli hostilities in the region.

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Israel has just handed Iran a major victory

What was supposed to be an attack to restore deterrence, the Israeli attack on Iran managed to do the opposite; it further proved to the Islamic Republic that the United States, Israel, and their allies are alien to this concept, an op-ed published in The Telegraph on Friday concluded.

The piece titled, “Israel has just handed Iran a major victory,” considered that the early Friday attack on Isfahan and Tabriz, which according to latest reports included several small drones that were launched from within Iran and were shot down by the country’s air defenses, has emboldened Iran even more to carry out a larger strike against the occupation entity any time in the future.

The writer accused the entity’s international allies of muting its attack and trying to contain it by attaching limited to it in fear of escalation, pointing out that this would hardly strike fear in the heart of the Islamic Republic.

Additionally, by not publicly claiming responsibility, Israel stuck to deniability with an inbuilt exit from the spiral of escalation.

He expressed frustration over the scope and extent of the Israeli aggression, comparing it to Iran’s massive operation.

Was that really it? Was that really the only response to hundreds of missiles and drones fired at Israel last week, costing a reported US$1 billion in defenses and demanding an international response?

“If the price for such a major assault is one limited jab at an air base, then that is extremely favorable to Iran. The lesson for the Ayatollah is clear: next time, double the payload. It’s worth it.”

The United States, following years of appeasement to Iran, is happy to play defense, the author said, criticizing Washington’s role in the event.

He mocked the US’ temerity to dub the operation they led to repel Iran’s retaliatory attack as a win, stressing that when it comes to hitting back, it is cowardly.

According to the publication, Iran’s foreign policy approach is gradual and strategic. It advances its agenda slowly and cautiously, testing the limits of what it can achieve. This incremental approach allows Iran to make gains over time while avoiding a decisive confrontation that could jeopardize its objectives.

But in the case that adversaries try to sneak up on the Islamic Republic, it would intervene decisively to deter further advances.

In conclusion, the author said that the West, including the United States, has failed to effectively counter Iran’s action policy, and thus Tehran was able to advance its plans with relative impunity.

Human Rights Activists condemn calls for war with Iran

Nearly 60 activists warned that a military attack on Iran would damage the legitimate struggle of the Iranian people for democracy and peace.

Dozens of Iranian human rights activists, including the husband of jailed 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, released a joint statement Tuesday condemning recent calls for war against Iran, warning that a military attack on their country would undermine the legitimate struggle of the Iranian people for democracy and peace.

The 57 activists published their statement as politicians in the United States, Europe, and Israel continued to lash out at Iran in the wake of Hamas' October 07 attack on Israel, claiming without evidence that Tehran was involved in planning the assault and—in some cases—pushing for a military response.

The new statement calls out by name the Union Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a group chaired by former US Senator Joe Lieberman. Two days after Hamas' attack, Lieberman and UANI CEO Mark Wallace urged the US, Israel, and their allies to launch strikes against military and intelligence targets in Iran.

The Iranian activists warned that such an attack would bring a massive avalanche of suffering and destruction upon our country.

While denouncing the Iranian government's "tyranny and oppression at home and tension-causing policies abroad, the activists said they oppose the direct and indirect call for a military attack on Iran, under any guise and with any pretext.

"We ask all Iranians not to allow opportunists to tie the struggle of the Iranian people for democracy, freedom, and peace with warmongering and calling for a military attack on our country," they wrote.

The statement was released amid mounting fears that Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip could soon become a wider regional conflict, particularly once Israel launches its expected ground invasion of the besieged Palestinian enclave.

In recent days, the Biden administration has mobilized missile defense systems and aircraft carriers to the Middle East, placed thousands of US troops on higher alert, and sent additional arms to Israel in what's been described as an effort to deter Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah from getting involved in the war on Gaza. Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire intermittently since October 07.

US officials have blamed Iran for recent drone attacks on American troops stationed in Syria and Iraq, even while acknowledging it's not clear that Iran ordered the attacks. In a speech to the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that the United States does not seek conflict with Iran and does not want this war to widen.

"But if Iran or its proxies attack US personnel anywhere, make no mistake, we will defend our people, we will defend our security‚—swiftly and decisively, said Blinken.

Iranian leaders, for their part, have said they could be forced to act if Israel invades Gaza.

During a news conference earlier this week, Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said that if Israel and the US do not immediately stop the crime against humanity and genocide in Gaza, anything is possible at any moment and the region will go out of control.