Iran-Israel live updates: Tehran warns Tel Aviv against military action

Thursday, April 18, 2024

1728 GMT — Iran has said at the United Nations Security Council that Israel "must be compelled to stop any further military adventurism against our interests."

"In case of any use of force by the Israeli regime and violating our sovereignty, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate a bit to assert its inherent rights to give a decisive and proper response to it to make the regime regret its actions," said Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.

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1723 GMT — Germany’s Scholz calls on Israel to exercise restraint

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called on Israel to exercise restraint and refrain from a unilateral reaction against Iran.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels at the end of a two-day EU summit, Scholz said European leaders strongly condemned Iran’s attack against Israel, and they expressed their concerns over a possible escalation in the region.

“It is very good that Israel has managed to successfully defend itself against this attack. From my point of view, and that of many other leaders who have commented here, it is important that Israel does not endanger now this support and this success,” he said.

1701 GMT — Italy hopes any Israeli retaliation on Iran will be targeted

Israel will probably retaliate for Iran's missile and drone attack on April 13, Italy's foreign minister has said, adding that he hoped any response would be targeted and not trigger an escalation.

"Our appeal is always for prudence and de-escalation," Antonio Tajani told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers. "We hope that Israel's response, which will probably come, will be a targeted response and not something that provokes escalation."

1357 GMT — US denies giving Israel green light to invade Rafah

The White House has strongly rejected giving Israel a green light to invade the southern Gazan city of Rafah in exchange for Tel Aviv committing to carry out a "limited" retaliation against Iran.

A National Security Council spokesperson told Anadolu on condition of anonymity that the claim "is not true and not something that has been discussed."

The London-based al-Araby al-Jadeed news outlet reported earlier that the Biden administration provided the approval in exchange for Israel's vow not to carry out a large-scale reprisal against Iran for an unprecedented ballistic missile and drone attack last weekend. It cited an anonymous Egyptian source.

"The report is inaccurate," the National Security Council spokesperson said in an email.

1331 GMT — US, UK hit Iranian drone programme with sanctions

The United States and the United Kingdom have announced widespread sanctions against Iran's military drone programme in response to its recent direct attack against Israel.

Washington is targeting "16 individuals and two entities enabling Iran's UAV production, including engine types that power Iran’s Shahed variant UAVs, which were used in the April 13 attack," the Treasury Department said in a statement, referring to Iran's unmanned aerial vehicle programme.

Treasury said it was also designating five companies in multiple jurisdictions providing component materials for steel production to Iran’s Khuzestan Steel Company (KSC). Also targeted, the statement said, were three subsidiaries of Iranian automaker Bahman Group, which it said had materially supported Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Britain has placed sanctions on Iranian military entities, including the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, an official notice showed.

The British sanctions target 13 entities or individuals in total, the notice showed.

1136 GMT — Tehran could review 'nuclear doctrine' amid Israeli threats: Iran

Iran could review its "nuclear doctrine" following Israeli threats, a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander has said, raising concerns about Tehran's nuclear programme which it has always said was strictly for peaceful purposes.

Israel has said it will retaliate against Iran's April 13 missile and drone attack, which Tehran says was carried out in response to a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Damascus earlier this month.

"The threats of the Zionist regime (Israel) against Iran's nuclear facilities make it possible to review our nuclear doctrine and deviate from our previous considerations," Ahmad Haghtalab, the Guards commander in charge of nuclear security, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

0950 GMT — Iran attack requires 'response' from G7: Germany

The G7 must respond to Iran's attack on Israel, Germany's foreign minister has said, adding that measures were being discussed with her counterparts at a meeting in Italy.

"We are also discussing further measures here at the G7 because of course there must be a response to this unprecedented incident," Annalena Baerbock told reporters on the island of Capri.

She added however that "there must be no further escalation in the region, that would be fatal for its people".

0845 GMT — Iran tells US it does not seek tensions expansion

Iran's top diplomat said his country has told the United States that it is not seeking escalation after an unprecedented attack on Israel.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, who is in New York to attend a UN Security Council meeting, said his country has "tried to tell the United States clearly" that Iran is "not looking for the expansion of tension in the region," he said in a video posted by his ministry.

Iran informed the United States that the country's decision to "respond to the (Israel) regime is final," and the matter concluded, he said.

"Before the operation, we clearly told the American side that we will not target American bases and interests in the region," Amirabdollahian said.

0515 GMT — Israel reserves 'right to protect itself' after Iran attack: Netanyahu

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country reserved the right to protect itself after Iran's unprecedented attack, and that it alone would decide how to do so.

Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel over the weekend in an attack that caused little damage after most of the projectiles were intercepted.

The Israeli military has vowed to respond, prompting a diplomatic flurry aimed at calming the Middle East.

Israel's allies in Washington and Brussels have pledged to ramp up sanctions against Iran, while British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock became the first Western envoys to visit Israel since the attack.

Netanyahu told the visiting ministers that Israel "will reserve the right to protect itself," his office said.

0417 GMT — Congress moving swiftly on bipartisan action to punish Iran after revenge attack on Israel

Iran's attack against Israel has spurred a flurry of bipartisan legislative action in Congress, uniting lawmakers against the country even as the risk of a larger regional war looms.

Several measures introduced and passed in the House and Senate seek to both publicly condemn Tehran and punish Iran financially. Lawmakers have denounced Iran's actions, which came in response to a suspected Israeli strike weeks earlier on an Iranian consular building in Syria that killed two Iranian generals.

“The world is on fire, and history will judge us for our action,” said Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, during a news conference Tuesday.

2225 GMT — Israeli attack could spark regional war — Jordan

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has said an Israeli retaliation against Iranian strikes could bring a real risk of dragging the whole region into a devastating war.

In an interview released by state media, Safadi said his country was lobbying major powers against an escalation that would have far-reaching consequences for regional stability and security.

"The risks are enormous. That could drag the whole region into war, which would be devastating to us in the region and we’ll have very, very serious implications for the rest of the world including the US," Safadi said.

"The situation is too dangerous. The chances of regional explosion are real, and that has got to stop. We’ve got to make sure there’s no further escalation," he added.

2103 GMT — Israel, Iran escalation should not lead world to forget humanitarian crisis in Gaza, West Bank: EU officials

The escalation between Iran and Israel should not lead the world to forget the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank, two top EU officials have said.

"It is essential to avoid any further escalation in the Middle East, in particular following the attacks from Iran targeting Israel. At this crucial time, we yet again call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2728, demanding an urgent and unfettered expansion of the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza to prevent further escalation of this humanitarian crisis and the catastrophic, predictable and avoidable outcome for its population," according to a statement by EU’s foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell and the bloc’s commissioner for crisis management Janez Lenarcic.

For our live updates from Wednesday, April 17, click here.