According to Israeli media, the Israeli army has decided how to respond to Iran’s calls for easing the situation.

    Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, April 17-Israeli media reported on the 16th that the IDF has made a decision on how to respond to the attack launched by "Iran and its agents" on Israel, but the timing of action has not yet been decided.

    On April 15th, Halevy (rear right), Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, spoke at the Newatim Air Force Base in southern Israel. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of Israel Defense Forces)

    UN Secretary-General Kofi antonio guterres once again called for restraint. British Prime Minister Rich Sunak told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the escalation of tension in the Middle East is not in the interest of either side and needs to be "cool-headed" at present.

   Israel vowed revenge, but the timing was uncertain.

    According to Israel’s Jerusalem Post on the 16th, the IDF has made a decision on how to respond to the attack of "Iran and its agents". However, because the timing of action has not yet been selected and the preparatory work is complicated, the current plan may also change.

    This is a picture of the interception of the Israeli "Iron Dome" air defense system shot over Jerusalem in the early morning of April 14th. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Jamal awad)

    The Jerusalem Post reported that the above-mentioned important progress shows that the Israeli leadership is serious and firm in its determination to fight back against Iran.

    On the 1st of this month, the building of the consular section of the Iranian Embassy in Syria was attacked by missiles, killing at least 13 people. Iran and Syria say the attack was launched by Israel. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard announced in the early morning of 14th that it would launch a large number of missiles and drones at Israeli targets. The Israeli military said that more than 300 drones and missiles were fired at Israel, of which "99%" were intercepted.

    Halevy, chief of general staff of the Israeli army, said on 15th that Iran would be "countered" eventually, but he did not specify when and how.

    According to the Associated Press, two American officials were quoted as saying that Israel has not yet told the US how it intends to fight back.

    On the 16th, the Israeli military showed the media the wreckage of an Iranian missile intercepted by the Israeli army at a military base in the south. Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israeli army, said that each warhead carried 500 kilograms of explosives. He reiterated that Israel will strike back at Iran, "at the time and place we choose and in the way we choose."

    The United States seeks sanctions but does not participate in retaliation.

    An Israeli government source told Reuters that the Israeli wartime cabinet meeting scheduled for 16th was postponed to 17th.

    This photo released on April 14th shows that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a wartime cabinet meeting at the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of Israel Government Information Office)

    This will be the third meeting of the Israeli wartime cabinet to discuss the response measures to Iran. After the first two meetings, it was not announced whether to make a decision.

    Israeli Foreign Minister israel Katz said that he had written to more than 30 countries, seeking to impose sanctions on Iran’s missile program and identifying Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a "terrorist organization".

    US Treasury Secretary Timothy janet yellen said that the United States will launch new sanctions against Iran and cooperate with its allies, and all options to disrupt Iran’s "terrorist" capital chain are under consideration.

    John Kirby, strategic communication coordinator of the White House National Security Council, said earlier that US President Barack joseph robinette made it clear during his phone conversation with Netanyahu that the United States would not take part in retaliation against Iran.

    Kirby said again on the 15th: "We don’t want to see a war with Iran or a regional conflict." When asked by media reporters whether Biden asked Netanyahu to "restrain" in response to the attack, Kirby did not comment.

    On the 16th, British Prime Minister Sunak telephoned Netanyahu, saying that the escalation of tension in the Middle East is not in the interest of either side, and will only aggravate regional insecurity. Now it is necessary to "keep a cool head".

    On the same day, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said on the phone with Israeli Defense Minister Joaf galante that the Iranian attack on Israel crossed the "red line", but "now we need to be rational and act in accordance with international law to avoid promoting the continuous escalation of violence". Italy is currently the rotating presidency of the G-7, and the G-7 foreign ministers’ meeting is scheduled to be held for three days from 17th.

   Turkey rejects western "double standards"

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo? an criticized the "double standards" of western countries on the 16th, saying that the other side kept silent about Israel’s attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Syria, but now it "rushed to condemn Iran’s response". He also pointed out that Netanyahu did not hesitate to push up regional tensions in order to "extend his political career."

    On October 1, 2023, in Ankara, Turkey, Turkish President Erdogan delivered a speech in Parliament. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Mustafa Kaya)

    UN spokesman Stefana Dujaric said on the 16th that UN Secretary-General Guterres telephoned Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdullahiyan on the 15th, once again calling for easing the current tension and bringing peace to the Middle East.

    Dujaric said that Guterres had not spoken to senior Israeli officials, but at the relevant emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on 14th, Gilad Aidan, Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, had heard Guterres’ call, who urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint.

    This round of escalation is the latest manifestation of conflict spillover in Gaza. Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said on the 16th that the efforts of the international community to promote a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza are "seriously inadequate".

    Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on the 16th that an independent Palestinian state should be recognized as soon as possible, and "Spain will make efforts to promote the Palestinian state to become a full member of the United Nations". (Chen Lixi)