Although Israel „threw the first stone,” world leaders accuse Iran of provoking regional escalation.
Iran executed a missile and drone attack on Saturday night, targeting Israel, in response to the April 1 incident when an Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus resulted in the loss of 13 lives.
According to the provisions of the Vienna Convention of 1961 and the Vienna Convention of 1963, consulate buildings and embassies are protected by international law against attacks. Any assault on them is considered a serious violation of international law and should attract international sanctions and repercussions.
Although Iran’s Saturday night attack was massive, no casualties were reported. The Iranian Foreign Minister emphasized that the attack did not target Israel’s civilian infrastructure and that no residential buildings were considered targets. The Iranian operation was executed with precision and seems to have been planned to minimize human losses while drawing international attention.
Furthermore, the Tehran government informed several states of its intention to attack Israel. According to a Turkish official who spoke anonymously to Reuters, there were even indirect communications between the US and Iran, with the White House suggesting to Iran that the operation should be limited. Additionally, the Iranian Foreign Ministry informed neighboring states 72 hours before the attack.
If a more efficient outcome were desired, Iran could have launched missiles and drones from other countries such as Syria, Yemen, Iraq, or Lebanon, where it controls certain territories. However, most of the missiles were launched from Iran over 1000 kilometers away, thus alerting Israel hours before the first ones reached its territory.
Moreover, considering Iran’s restraint at the beginning of the Gaza conflict, its action suggests that it does not seek an escalation of the regional conflict but merely felt compelled to respond to the attack on the consulate in Damascus.
Nevertheless, the leaders of G7 nations, gathered in an emergency meeting, criticized Iran for exacerbating regional instability, expressing concern that Tehran’s actions could lead to an uncontrollable regional escalation, although they did not issue an explicit condemnation of the Damascus attack on April 1.
Although Israel has not officially confirmed the attack, the media learned that it was carried out with an Israeli F-35 aircraft launching 6 missiles at the Iranian consulate.
Foto: Reuters
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