Iran attack on Israel ‘best way to punish aggressor:’ Putin
The Cradle, Apr 16 2024
President Raisi and President Putin held a phone conference on Apr 16 to discuss the escalating conflict in West Asia. The phone call was made at Raisi’s initiative, according to the Kremlin’s press release, which said:
The two heads of state discussed in detail the situation in the Middle East, escalated by Israel’s air strike at the Iranian diplomatic mission in Damascus and Iran’s retaliation measures. Vladimir Putin expressed hope that all sides will exercise sensible restraint and will not allow a new round of confrontation that may be fraught with disastrous consequences for the entire region.
Earlier in April, Israel launched an attack against the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, in which a senior IRGC commander, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, was killed, among others. In response, Iran launched a massive retaliatory strike against Israel, which included the firing of dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles as well as a swarm of drones. Raisi said during the call with Putin that Iran’s launch of Operation True Promise was forced and limited in nature, noting that Tehran is not interested in escalating tensions in the region further. The Iranian president also expressed his gratitude to Putin for Russia’s diplomatic efforts to defend Iran after Israel’s attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria, saying:
To those countries that have adopted double standards in the face of the crimes of the Zionist regime and express concerns about escalating tensions in the region, we advise them to rather stop supporting the Zionist’s genocide and crimes against the oppressed Palestinian people to preserve peace and stability in the region.
Russia’s representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, called Iran’s response justified during a recent UNSC meeting, saying that it “did not happen in a vacuum.” Putin condemned the attack on the Iranian consulate, stating:
What the Islamic Republic of Iran did in response to that act that happened criminally and in light of the inaction of the UNSC was the best way to punish the aggressor and represented the tactfulness and rationality of Iran’s politicians. Russia believes Iran is one of the main pillars of stability and security in the region.
During the phone call, the two presidents exchanged views on the current state of Iran-Russia relations, both expressing their intentions to promote steady bilateral cooperation across multiple regions, including the implementation of “mutually beneficial infrastructure projects.” Putin ended the call by congratulating Raisi and all Muslims of Iran on the holy day of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the month of Ramadan.
Israel hinders UN query into Oct 7 events
The Cradle, Apr 16 2024
A UN-mandated commission of inquiry that probes violations of international human rights law accused Israel on Apr 16 of obstructing its efforts to collect evidence from the victims of the attack by Hamas on military bases and settlements in southern Israel on Oct 7. Chris Sidoti, a member of a commission of inquiry established to investigate human rights abuses committed in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, said:
So far as the government of Israel is concerned, we have not only seen a lack of cooperation but active obstruction of our efforts to receive evidence from Israeli witnesses and victims to the events that occurred in southern Israel. We have contact with many, but we would like to have contact with more.
Sidoti pleaded with the Israeli government, as well as victims and witnesses of the attack, to cooperate with the commission to conduct its investigation. According to Israel, Hamas killed 1,200 Israeli soldiers and civilians on Oct 7 while carrying out horrific atrocities, including beheading babies. But rather than aid in an investigation that might confirm Israeli claims, Israel’s diplomatic mission in Geneva said:
The victims know too well that they will never get any justice or the dignified treatment they deserve from the Commission of Inquiry and its members, who have a track record of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel statements.
Israeli officials may fear a thorough and independent investigation of the events of Oct 7 due to clear evidence showing that allegations of Hamas atrocities were fabricated and that Israeli forces themselves killed many, if not most, of the Israeli civilians who died during the Hamas attack. Israeli forces used attack helicopters, tanks, and drones to fire missiles and high-caliber machine guns to devastate their own settlements (kibbutzim), military bases, and border areas to repel the Hamas assault. Per the Hannibal Directive, this included Israeli forces killing their own civilians and soldiers, including burning many alive, to prevent Hamas from taking them captive back to Gaza. Hamas wished to take Israelis captive for a prisoner exchange to release the thousands of Palestinian captives in Israeli jails and to demand that Israel lift its 17-year siege of Gaza.
Jordan opened airspace for Israeli jets to counter Iran
The Cradle, Apr 16 2024
Jordan allowed Israeli warplanes to operate in its airspace during Iran’s Operation True Promise, an officer in Israel’s air force was cited as saying on Apr 15. The official told NBC news:
In order to address something that comes from the east, we need to fly somewhere that is east of Israel. This was done with coordination.
The WSJ also reported the same day, citing officials:
Jordan said it would allow use of its airspace by US and other countries’ warplanes and use its own aircraft to assist in intercepting Iranian missiles and drones.
WSJ also says that Saudi Arabia and the UAE shared intelligence with Washington and Tel Aviv to help intercept incoming Iranian fire. In another report on Apr 16, the outlet cited Arab officials as saying:
Despite the sharing of intelligence, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi stopped short of giving Washington everything it wanted, denying the US and Israel use of their airspace to intercept missiles and drones.
Jordan also directly intercepted Iranian projectiles in its airspace that were en route to Israel. The Jordanian government said in a cabinet statement on Sunday:
Some unidentified flying objects that entered our airspace last night were dealt with and intercepted to prevent endangering the safety of our citizens and inhabited areas. Fragments fell in multiple locations during this incident without causing any significant damage or injuries among citizens.
Jordan faced significant backlash from citizens, who criticized Amman’s endangerment of the Jordanian population in order to intercept Iranian fire at Israel. Iran’s operation against Israel began late on Apr 13 and extended into the early hours of the following day. It came as a response to the destruction of the Iranian consulate in Syria early this month, which killed several top officials and advisors. Iran’s main targets were the Nevatim airbase in the Negev desert, from where Israeli jets took off to attack Iran’s consulate on Apr 1, and Israeli intelligence centers in the Jabal al-Sheikh heights between Syria and Israel’s territory, Iran’s army said.
Hezbollah drones strike Israeli Iron Dome
The Cradle, Apr 16 2024
A number of people were killed or injured in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon’s city of Tyre, shortly after Hezbollah launched a drone attack on Israeli Iron Dome batteries near the Lebanese border on Apr 16. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported:
The raid on Ain Baal resulted in one martyr and two others being injured, who were transported to hospitals in Tyre.
Lebanese news outlet LBC reported that a vehicle was targeted on the Al-Majbal road in Ain Baal. Saudi media said a Hezbollah official, Abu Jaafar Baz, was assassinated in the strike. Hezbollah said in a statement earlier on Tuesday afternoon:
The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance launched, at 14:25 pm on the afternoon of Tuesday Apr 16 2024, an air attack with two waves of assault drones targeting the missile defense systems in Beit Hillel.
Hebrew media reports said three people were injured in the Hezbollah drone attack. Ynet said that at least two drones infiltrated the Galilee without setting off sirens. The Israeli army said it was investigating why sirens were not sounded during the attack. Tel Aviv did not make any mention of injuries. Ynet said:
Two Hezbollah explosive drones that infiltrated from Lebanon exploded at noon in the Beit Hillel area of the Galilee, and three Israelis were slightly injured. The drones penetrated without a warning being triggered in the area, and the IDF said that the incident is under investigation.
Hezbollah has continued with daily attacks on Israeli military sites since Oct 8 in support of the Palestinian resistance and the people of Gaza. It has vowed to continue its attacks until the war in Gaza is brought to an end, despite western-mediated deescalation efforts. The escalation in south Lebanon on Tuesday comes two days after Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel in response to the Israeli strike on Tehran’s consulate in Damascus on Apr 1.
Iran enhances air defenses with Russian support: Report
The Cradle, Apr 16 2024
Iran and Russia are developing a deepening strategic partnership that could prove crucial in helping Iran defend itself from an attack from Israel, the WaPo said in a report on Apr 16. The WaPo claims that according to a leaked Russian document, stolen Iranian emails, and interviews with US intelligence officials, Russia has pledged to provide Iran with “advanced fighter jets and air-defense technology, assets that could help Tehran harden its defenses against any future airstrike by Israel.” The WaPo report cites intelligence sources claiming that Russia has agreed to provide Iran with Su-35 fighter jets and the S-400 anti-missile defense system. The Su-35s would be a dramatic upgrade for an Iranian air force that consists mainly of rebuilt US and Soviet aircraft from before the 1979 revolution that established the Islamic Republic. The S-400 is Russia’s most advanced missile defense system. In 2019, Russia provided Iran with the S-300 system. The intelligence officials added there is no public evidence that Su-35s or S-400s have been delivered to Iran. According to intelligence officials and the leaked documents cited by the WaPo, Moscow and Tehran have also begun working cooperatively on new drones.
Russia has benefitted from Iranian drone technology in its war in Ukraine. Russia has manufactured drones using the technology and designs provided by Iran, including the long-range, swept-wing Shahed-131 and Shahed-136. Russia has used drones to attack Ukrainian military targets and energy infrastructure. Among the leaked documents were details of visits by Iranian and Russian delegations to tour weapons facilities in both countries, the WaPo claimed. The documents allegedly show details of Iranian officials’ trip to Russia’s NPP Start factory as part of a broader tour of defense facilities in five cities. The document was allegedly signed by officials of Technodinamika JSC, which operates NPP Start, as well as the Russian Ministry of Defense. Several documents claim to “describe an Apr 2023 trip to Iran by a delegation of Russian engineers to watch a demonstration of a new jet-powered drone as well as a line of hunter-killer UAVs designed to destroy enemy drones.” The test allegedly led to an agreement for Russia to acquire more than 600 of the Iranian jet drones, which would be built in Russia with Iranian guidance. Producing the drones jointly with Russia would allow Iran to evaluate their performance on Ukrainian battlefields.
NYT guidelines for Gaza bar journos from saying ‘genocide’: Report
The Cradle, Apr 16 2024
A leaked internal memo from the NYT told its journalists to refrain from using the words “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” and to avoid using “occupied territory” when referring to Palestine, The Intercept reported on Apr 15. The investigative outlet reported:
The memo instructed NYT journalists to not use the word Palestine ‘except in very rare cases’ and to steer clear of the term’ refugee camps’ to describe areas of Gaza historically settled by displaced Palestinians expelled from other parts of Palestine during previous Israeli–Arab wars.
The Interceptrevealed that the memo was written by editors Susan Wessling and Philip Pan and their deputies. Several journalists from the legacy newspaper told The Intercept that some of the memo’s “contents show evidence of the paper’s deference to Israeli narratives.” A NYT newsroom source said:
I think it’s the kind of thing that looks professional and logical if you have no knowledge of the historical context of the Palestinian–Israeli conflict. But if you do know, it will be clear how apologetic it is to Israel.
Another newsroom source told The Intercept:
It’s not unusual for news companies to set style guidelines, but there are unique standards applied to violence perpetrated by Israel. Readers have noticed and I understand their frustration.
Multiple news outlets over the past few months and years have either heavily watered down or outright censored the Palestinian cause from their reporting. In November, The Breach reported that Bell Media, the multi-billion dollar Canadian media conglomerate that runs CTV, Bloomberg News and Toronto’s CP24, had also told journalists to refrain from using the word “Palestine.” An internal memo obtained by The Breach read:
While Palestine has observer status at the UN, Palestine as a nation does not currently exist. Please use Gaza or the Israeli-Occupied West Bank for a geographic locator.
It told journalists to use “Hamas and Hamas militants” when referring to the Palestinian government and to ensure the mention that Hamas “has been declared a terrorist group by Canada and many other Western Nations.” Social media has also been riddled with the censorship of Palestinian voices. Human Rights Watch, in a report released last year, stated:
Meta’s policies and practices have been silencing voices in support of Palestine and Palestinian human rights on Instagram and Facebook in a wave of heightened censorship of social media. Between Oct-Nov 2023, over 1,050 takedowns and other suppression of content Instagram and Facebook that had been posted by Palestinians and their supporters, including about human rights abuses.
A report published in November last year by Forbes showed the heavy censorship that would be a trend six months into Israel’s war on Gaza. The report noted that Israel sent roughly 9,500 requests to Meta and Tiktok since Oct 7 to remove content that paints Israel in a negative light. Around 94% of the content was deleted.
Pakistan PM calls for tightening economic ties with KSA
The Cradle, Apr 16 2024
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for closer ties with Saudi Arabia to increase Saudi investments in the financially troubled South Asian nation, according to an official statement released on Apr 16. Sharif made these comments during a meeting with the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, who arrived in Islamabad on Monday for a two-day diplomatic trip to discuss multiple issues, including ways to aid Pakistan in its economic struggles. The official statement on the meeting said:
The prime minister underscored the significance accorded by Pakistan to its longstanding fraternal, economic, and strategic relations with Saudi Arabia. He said both countries had always stood together at all times.
Sharif noted that the Saudi delegation’s visit showed a “manifestation of the strong commitment of both countries to the strengthening of bilateral relations focused on mutually beneficial economic cooperation.” The statement continued:
In this regard, the prime minister said that both sides needed to work closely to expedite the first phase of Saudi investments in Pakistan under the new arrangement. The Saudi foreign minister conveyed the kingdom’s commitment to an enhanced strategic and economic partnership with Pakistan.
Farhan also met with President Asif Ali Zardari, during which he noted:
Saudi Arabia considered its relations with Pakistan very critical and was committed to building a strong partnership with Pakistan,” according to a press release published on social media.
For Zardari’s part, Islamabad and Riyadh “enjoyed a long-standing and decades-old relationship,” and Pakistan wanted to transform the ties into a long-term strategic and economic association. Last week, Sharif met with MbS, and discussed ways to increase Saudi investment in Pakistan. Both the Saudi crown prince and the Pakistani premier agreed to accelerate the first wave of a $5b Saudi investment package plan. Riyadh has committed to invest $25b in Pakistan over the span of five years, mainly focusing on energy, IT, minerals, defense, and agriculture sectors under the Special Investment Facilitation Council. Last year, Saudi Arabia injected $2b into Pakistan’s central bank to help the South Asian nation overcome an economic crisis.
‘Hot money’ flows to Egypt after western, Gulf bailout
The Cradle, Apr 16 2024
Demand from international investors for Egypt’s debt is soaring now that Cairo has secured a $55b bailout and Gulf investment package to shore up its heavily indebted economy, the Financial Times reported on Apr 16. In recent months, Egypt has secured billions in loans from the IMF, World Bank, and the EU and real estate investments from the UAE. This provided the foreign currency needed for Cairo to begin floating the Egyptian pound, which was de facto pegged to the US dollar. Egypt’s currency lost 60% after it began to float in March, inflicting the country’s poor but creating an attractive environment for foreign investors. The FT reports that demand for short-term bonds issued by Egypt has surged since last month’s financial rescue. Egypt sold $8.5b in one-year Treasury bills over the past month in a return of “hot money flows” from abroad. Due to the increased foreign demand, the yield (the interest rate the Egyptian state must pay to borrow) on the bills fell from 32% to 26%. Farouk Soussa, Middle East and North Africa Economist at Goldman Sachs, said:
Everybody wants a piece of Egypt now. It’s quite a change from just a few weeks ago.
The new financial support for Egypt has included an $8b loan from the IMF, $6b from the World Bank, and $7b from the EU. Most important is a $35b investment by the UAE to buy and develop land on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast in the Ras al-Hekma area. The Sisi government has borrowed heavily in recent years for infrastructural megaprojects, including building a massive new administrative capital on the outskirts of Cairo. Egypt has taken multiple loans from the IMF since 2016 while resisting the reforms demanded by the international lender, including floating the currency, cutting food and fuel subsidies, and liberalizing an economy dominated by state-owned firms, particularly those owned by the Egyptian army. The war in Gaza further hurt Egypt, as revenues from the Suez Canal and tourism suffered sharp declines. The FT adds:
The outbreak of war in neighboring Gaza helped to change the attitudes of donors, who feared Egypt was heading towards default and economic collapse. Riccardo Fabiani, North Africa director of the International Crisis Group Riccardo Fabiani, North Africa director of the International Crisis Group, said: “The US doesn’t want Egypt to be destabilized because there would be repercussions for Israel and the region. Europe is also terrified of a migration crisis. When they say Egypt is too big to fail, this is true.”
The financial bailouts also followed Egypt’s construction of a buffer zone along the Gaza–Egypt border in the Sinai in February. The Egyptian government has not declared the purpose of building the buffer zone, but analysts view it as preparation for receiving Palestinians displaced by a possible Israeli invasion of Rafah and holding them under tight security conditions. In October, shortly after the war in Gaza began, Netanyahu sought to pressure Sisi to take in refugees from Gaza and offered that the World Bank write off Egypt’s large foreign debt in return. A major objective of Israel’s war on Gaza is to forcibly displace all or part of the besieged enclave’s 2.3 million Palestinian inhabitants and pave the way for Jewish settlement in their place.
Biden hosts Iraqi PM as Baghdad presses for exit of foreign troops
The Cradle, Apr 16 2024
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani met with US President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Apr 15 to discuss the growing crisis in West Asia and a timeframe for ending the mission of the US-led military coalition in Iraq. During the meetings, Sudani emphasized the readiness of Iraq’s security services to carry out their tasks independently of foreign military forces. Sudani and Biden “confirmed that they will review several factors to determine when and how the international coalition’s mission in Iraq will end, and move in an orderly manner toward permanent bilateral security partnerships, in accordance with the Iraqi constitution and the strategic framework agreement between the United States and Iraq,” according to a White House statement. Biden said in a joint press conference:
The partnership between Iraq and the US is critical. We’ve seen over the last decade as our troops have served side-by-side to defeat ISIS. And we’ve seen this in our strategic framework agreement as well.
In his meeting with Austin, Sudani stressed the importance of the security partnership between the US and Iraq and their cooperation in the fight against ISIS, according to a statement from the Iraqi prime minister’s office. Austin also stressed the “US commitment to supporting Iraq in its fight against terrorism and looked forward to establishing a sustainable security relationship as part of the transitional work initiated last August, which led to the formation of the Higher Military Commission.” Baghdad has recently intensified calls for an end to the mission of the US-led international coalition in Iraq, stressing that foreign combat troops are no longer needed given the overall defeat of ISIS in the country.
Sudani’s trip to Washington came days after he wrote a column for ForeignAffairs.com announcing that the joint US–Iraqi Supreme Military Committee had agreed on a timetable to see the exit of foreign troops from Iraq. About 2.5k US troops remain in Iraq, defying a 2020 parliamentary vote to withdraw permission for the US to operate on Iraqi soil. The vote came in response to the US assassination of Iranian anti-terror commander General Qassem Soleimani and deputy leader of the Popular Mobilization Units, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in Baghdad. In his meeting with Biden, the Iraqi premier also discussed the Israeli genocide in Gaza and the Iranian retaliatory strikes against Israel over the weekend. Sudani said:
Under the spirit of partnership, our views might be divergent about what’s happening in the region. But we are certain of international law, international humanitarian law, and the responsibility to protect under the law of war, and we reject any aggression against civilians, especially women and children.
US makes failed bid for Iran to allow ‘symbolic strike’ by Israel
The Cradle, Apr 16 2024
An Iranian military security official has revealed exclusively to The Cradle that the US contacted the Islamic Republic, asking the nation to allow Israel “a symbolic strike to save face” following Iran’s retaliatory drone and missile barrage this weekend. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed to The Cradle:
Iran has received messages from mediators to let the regime do a symbolic strike to save face and asked Iran not to retaliate.
He added that Tehran “outright rejected” the proposal, delivered by mediators, and reiterated warnings that any Israeli attack on Iranian soil would be met with a decisive and immediate response. The reply was delivered directly to the Swiss envoy in Tehran by officials from the IRGC and not the foreign ministry. According to The Cradle’s source, the decision for the IRGC to reply directly was meant “to send a strong warning to the US.” The Iranian military official added:
Iran successfully embarrassed all of the integrated radar network and anti-missile systems of the US and the regime. The US even activated its parked satellites over the region to do maximum protection and failed miserably.
The revelations come as US defense officials have told western media that they expect a “limited response” from Israel against Iran, which will reportedly focus on targets outside of Iranian territory. Nevertheless, US officials stressed that Tel Aviv had not briefed the Pentagon on a “final decision” as discussions within Israel’s fractured war cabinet continued. They confirmed:
The US does not intend to take part in the military response.
However, they expect Israel to inform Washington about response plans in advance. Israel has publicly vowed to respond to the Iranian operation this weekend, which saw the launch of hundreds of drones, ballistic and cruise missiles by the Islamic Republic in retaliation to the Israeli bombing of Iran’s consulate in Damascus. Speaking on Sunday from the Nevatim air force base in southern Israel, which was one of three military targets successfully hit by the Iranian barrage, Israeli army chief of staff Lt-Gen Herzi Halevi said:
This launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles and drones into Israeli territory will be met with a response.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani told state TV on Monday night that Tehran’s response to any Israeli retaliation would come in “a matter of seconds, as Iran will not wait for another 12 days to respond.”
Israel to take ‘less aggressive’ approach to Iran response: Report
The Cradle, Apr 16 2024
Washington believes Israel’s response to Iran’s massive drone and missile strike will be “limited” and will focus on targets outside of Iranian territory, US officials said on Apr 16. Four US officials told NBC that they expect the Israeli response “to be limited in scope and most likely involve strikes against Iranian military forces and Iranian-backed proxies outside Iran.” The assessment is based on talks between Israeli and US officials prior to Operation True Promise, which saw hundreds of Iranian drones and missiles target Israeli military sites late on Apr 13 and into the following morning. The officials added:
As Israel was preparing for a possible Iranian attack last week, Israeli officials briefed US officials about possible response options.
However, the officials emphasized that they have not been informed about any final decision and that Tel Aviv’s plans for a response may have shifted since the Iranian operation took place. Israel had been debating what a potential retaliation to its strike on Iran’s consulate would look like last week, as well as possible Israeli responses to the retaliation, which “ranged from no military action to strikes inside Iran,” NBC said. The US officials told the news outlet that Israel could use a “less aggressive option” given there were no serious casualties from Iran’s attack. They added that among these options are attacks on Syria. An attack on Syria would not target senior officials as the consulate strike did, but rather storage units or shipments holding weapons destined for Hezbollah, they said. Israel has for years carried out strikes against Syria, aimed at targeting Iranian or Hezbollah interests in the country, or weapons shipments sent by the Islamic Republic to the Lebanese resistance. These attacks have done very little to stifle the flow of Iranian weapons to Hezbollah. The officials confirmed:
The US does not intend to take part in the military response.
However, they expect Israel to inform Washington about response plans in advance. Israel has publicly vowed to respond to the Iranian operation. Yet the magnitude and nature of its response has yet to be determined and is being debated by Israeli officials, according to Hebrew-language reports.
Niqnaq 