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US sending fighter jets, to keep carrier group in West Asia for Israel defense

By
IFP Media Wire
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US Fighter Jet Warplane

“The Department of Defense continues to take steps to mitigate the possibility of regional escalation by Iran or Iran’s partners and proxies,” deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said in a statement Friday.

“To that end, Secretary Austin has ordered adjustments to U.S. military posture designed to improve U.S. force protection, to increase support for the defense of Israel, and to ensure the United States is prepared to respond to various contingencies.”

In addition to the fighter jets, the Pentagon will send more ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to the European and Middle East regions, take steps to send more land-based ballistic missile defenses and maintain a carrier strike group presence in the Middle East, the USS Abraham Lincoln.

The order comes after President Joe Biden promised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday that he would increase American military presence in the region to help defend Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its allies amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

The United States is currently bracing for Tehran to follow through on their pledge to respond to the assassination of Hamas peace negotiator Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday in Tehran. Israel has not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh’s death, but hours after the attack became public, Netanyahu gave defiant remarks, saying Israel is achieving its goals.

Israel did claim responsibility for a Tuesday strike in Beirut that killed a top Hezbollah commander.

The recent developments have the West concerned that the region will ignite into an all-out war, with the White House stressing Wednesday that the Israeli attacks are not helpful while the administration seeks a cease-fire deal to a relentless Israeli air and ground campaign in the besieged enclave.

White House national security communications adviser John Kirby stated the recent events complicate the pending deal that aims to end the war that has largely killed civilians, the majority women and children, and sent the territory into famine.

How will Haniyeh assassination affect Pezeshkian’s economic aspiration?

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Masoud Pezeshkian

In its Saturday edition, Ham-Mihan wrote that the Israeli terrorist move, just a day into Pezeshkian’s presidency was “a very important and decisive variable” that could deal a blow to Iran’s already tense ties with the West and consequently its fragile economy.

The daily believes the logic of power requires that Iran react to the Israeli aggression because inaction would make the Israeli arch-foe bolder, but added there are indications such incidents are not expected to derail the new administration’s efforts to improve the country’s economy and people’s livelihood, as promised by Pezeshkian on the campaign trail.

Ham-Mihan highlighted the speech by Mehdi Fazaeli, a member of the Iranian Leader’s office, in Friday Prayers sermons that as stressed by Ayatollah Khamenei, the top priority for the new Iranian government should be the economy.

Fazaeli, however, asserted Israel should pay for its crime, adding there are plans to avenge the blood of the senior Hamas leader.

The daily warned Pezeshkian not to play into the hands of the Israeli regime as the terrorist move is aimed at blocking the promising political path that has emerged in Iran.

IRGC chief to Hezbollah leader: ‘Enemies of the nation’ will pay for assassination of military commander

By
IFP Media Wire
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Hossein Salami

The commander described the perpetrators of the atrocity as “the enemies of the Muslim nation (Ummah), especially the criminal and terrorist Zionist gang”.

Those and their supporters, he warned, “should await sacred fury, harsh revenge, and vengeance on the part of the devoted, resolute, and determined mujahedeen of the [various] fronts of the regional resistance”.

His comments are referencing the awaited military response to the assassination of the head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran, and the Hezbollah commander, Fouad Shukr, in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

On Thursday, Nasrallah warned that Hezbollah will respond to Israel’s killing of the Lebanese movement ’s most senior military commander, Shukr, in a strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs earlier this week.

“The resistance’s response to the assassination of commander Fuad Shukr is settled and there is no discussion about it,” the secretary-general of Hezbollah said, speaking at the funeral of the slain commander.

“Several countries have asked Hezbollah not to respond to the Israeli strike on Beirut’s suburbs. We are before a major battle and we have entered a new phase that exceeds the issue of support fronts,” he added.

He stressed that Shukur’s assassination will increase the resolve, determination and willpower of Hezbollah.

Biden warns Netanyahu against escalation of tensions in West Asia

By
IFP Media Wire
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Biden Netanyahu

Biden and his top aides are deeply frustrated by the fallout from Israel’s assassinations in Beirut and Tehran, which took place less than a week after Netanyahu’s first visit to the Oval Office in four years.

U.S. officials don’t mourn the deaths of either Hezbollah’s top military commander Fuad Shukr, or Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

But they feel that Netanyahu kept Biden in the dark over his plans to carry out the assassinations, after leaving the impression last week that he was attentive to the president’s request to focus on getting a Gaza agreement.

The Biden administration has put a hostage and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas at the center of its entire post-war strategy in the Middle East.

Biden is personally involved in the efforts to reach an agreement and sees it a core element of his legacy in his remaining six months in office.

U.S. officials told Axios Biden called Netanyahu to discuss U.S.-Israeli joint military preparations for retaliations by Iran and Hezbollah — but also to make clear he was not pleased with the direction the Israeli prime minister has taken in the last week.

One U.S. official said Biden complained to Netanyahu that the two had just spoken last week in the Oval Office about securing the hostage deal, but instead Netanyahu went ahead with the assassination in Tehran.

Biden then told Netanyahu the U.S. will help Israel defeat an Iranian attack, but after that he expects no more escalation from the Israeli side and immediate movement toward a hostage agreement, the U.S. official added.

Biden also warned Netanyahu that if he escalates again, he shouldn’t count on the U.S. to bail him out, the U.S. official continued.

The White House declined to comment.

The Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement: “Prime Minister Netanyahu told President Biden that he appreciates the American support, and as Prime Minister of Israel he acts solely according to the security needs of the State of Israel.”

At the end of the meeting with Netanyahu in the Oval office last Thursday, Biden became emotional, raised his voice and told Netanyahu he needs to reach a Gaza deal as soon as possible, three Israeli officials with knowledge of the meeting told Axios.

“Biden raised his voice and said he wants a deal reached within a week to two weeks,” a senior Israeli official noted.

“Biden told Netanyahu that a hostage and ceasefire deal is the most important thing right now,” the Israeli official added.

Shortly after, when the president and the Israeli prime minister met with the families of the American hostages held in Gaza, Biden doubled down on his message to Netanyahu.

“We are at an inflection point … we need to do everything to end the war and reach regional stability, even if the deal is not perfect. Hamas wants the deal right now. It might change,” Biden told Netanyahu, according to the notes of one of the participants.

“I had a very direct meeting with the prime minister today. Very direct,” Biden told reporters on Thursday night about his call with Netanyahu.

Biden added there is a basis for a ceasefire and stressed Netanyahu should “move on it now.”

When asked if the assassination of Hamas leader Haniyeh has ruined the chances for a deal, Biden said: “It hasn’t helped.”

Slain Hamas political chief buried in Qatar amid vows of revenge against Israel

By
IFP Media Wire
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Hamas Ismail Haniyeh

Haniyeh was laid to rest in a cemetery in the city of Lusail after a funeral ceremony at the Iman Mohamed Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab Mosque in Qatar’s capital Doha.

Representatives of other Palestinian factions and members of the public attended the events in the city, where Haniyeh had lived along with members of Hamas’s political office. His family was at the funeral amid tight security measures at Qatar’s national mosque.

His coffin, draped in the Palestinian flag, was carried in a procession past hundreds of people along with the casket of his bodyguard, who was killed in the same attack in Tehran on Wednesday.

Mourners at the ceremony included Khaled Meshaal, who is tipped to be the new Hamas leader. Other senior Hamas officials and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani also attended.

Speaking at the mosque, where Haniyeh’s body was laid for prayers, Meshaal said his death would only make the group more determined to continue its fight for a free Palestine. There would be no concessions over its principles and no recognition of Israel, he added.

Haniyeh’s death was a big loss to the movement but it would not alter their course, he continued, stating, “Our enemies don’t learn the lesson, they have been killing our leaders for over 100 years, what happened? When a leader ascends (to heaven) another leader comes.”

Hamas and Iran have both accused Israel of carrying out the assassination and have pledged to retaliate against their foe.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei led a public funeral ceremony for Haniyeh in Tehran on Thursday, before the coffin was transported to Doha. He earlier threatened “harsh punishment” for Haniyeh’s killing.

In the Gaza Strip, Hamas called for a “day of furious rage” to protest against the assassination and Israel’s deadliest war on the besieged enclave which since October 7 has killed almost 40,000 people.

Haniyeh was engaged in ceasefire negotiations with mediators Qatar, alongside Egypt and the United States.

US President Joe Biden has stated Haniyeh’s killing had “not helped” the situation.

Iranian VP Aref meets with Qatari emir in Doha

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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According to the statement of the Emir Court of Qatar, the two sides discussed bilateral relations and ways of strengthening them, in addition to a number of regional and international developments.

The first vice-president of Iran went to Doha at the head of a delegation on Friday to participate in the funeral ceremony of martyr Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political office of Hamas. 

Haniyeh wad assassinated in an attack on his residence in Tehran on Wednesday. 

Iran says Israel carried out the attack with the greenlight from the US.

Acting FM: Iran wants EU pressure against Israel

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Ali Bagheri and Josef Borrell held talks over the consequences of Israel’s recent terror attack that killed Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian movement Hamas political bureau in Tehran.

The two sides also discussed the political and security implications of this heinous crime in violation of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s national security. 

Bagheri stressed that by killing Haniyeh, the Zionist regime violated Iran’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and at the same time jeopardized regional and international peace and stability. 

He said that Iran will definitely exercise its inalienable right to punish the criminal gang ruling Tel Aviv.  

The Iranian acting foreign minister also spoke about the UN Security Council emergency meeting that was held at the request of the Islamic Republic of Iran and deplored the move by some European countries alongside the US to prevent the condemnation of the assassination of Haniyeh by the top UN body. 

Bagheri underlined that this action by those European countries and their silence regarding the Zionist regime’s war-mongering in Yemen and Lebanon has emboldened Tel Aviv to continue its acts of aggression, which will lead to jeopardizing peace and stability in the region. 

EU Foreign Policy Chief Josef Borrell for his part agreed that Iran has the right to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Borrell at the same time, expressed concern over the rising tension and the possibility of a full-fledged war in the region and its implications for regional nations.

Jordan, Algeria condemn Israel assassination of Haniyeh, breach of Iran territorial integrity

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, in a phone conversation with Ali Bagheri Kani, the Acting Iranian Foreign Minister, underlined the Algerian government and people’s stance, strongly denouncing the Zionist regime’s crime of assassinating Haniyeh in Iranian territory.

He also denounced the Israeli regime’s move in breaching the Islamic Republic of Iran’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Bagheri, in turn underscored that the Zionist regime has crossed the Islamic Republic of Iran’s red line by assassinating Haniyeh inside Iran, warning Tehran will definitely use its legitimate and inherent right to decisively and effectively punish the criminal Zionists.

Meanwhile Iran’s Bagheri spoke to Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman al-Safadi, where the two sides exchanged views on the repercussions of the terrorist move by the Zionist regime to martyr Haniyeh.

The Iranian diplomat stressed the Islamic Republic of Iran will certainly act according to law and justice against the notorious and criminal Zionist regime without any compromise.

Al-Safadi also said escalating regional tension is the Zionist regime’s desire and stressed on the need to make efforts in order to prevent the war from expanding in the region.

The top Algerian and Jordanian diplomats also supported Iran’s initiative regarding the holding of an emergency meeting of the Islamic Cooperation Organization (OIC).

Haniyeh and a member of his security team were killed in a strike on their residence in Tehran on Wednesday morning. 

A funeral procession was held for the deceased on Thursday, with the Iranian Leader Ayatollah Khamenei having prayed over the body of the Hamas leader. 

The body of Haniyeh was taken to Qatar where he will rest for good.

Tehran’s Tabiat Bridge turns red as a symbol of revenge for Hamas leader’s assassination

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Tabiat Bridge, the largest non-vehicular bridge in Iran, turned red on Thursday night, one day after the assassination of the Hamas leader in Tehran.

Meanwhile the Office for the Preservation and Publication of the Works of Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, also released a poster symbolizing the blood vengeance for Haniyeh.

This poster refers to part of Ayatollah Khamenei’s message regarding the necessity of avenging Haniyeh’s blood.

In that message, Ayatollah Khamenei stated that the criminal and terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest, Haniyeh, in our home and caused us grief, but also paved the way for severe punishment for itself… In this bitter and difficult incident that happened within the territory of the Islamic Republic, we consider it our duty to avenge his martyrdom.

Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were assassinated in an attack on his residence in Tehran in the early hours of Wednesday.

Iran to UN chief: Tehran to severely punish Israel following Hamas leader assassination

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Hamas Ismail Haniyeh

Ali Bagheri emphasized the terrorist act of the Zionist regime in killing Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, in addition to violating the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has endangered regional and international peace and stability.

Referring to the convening of an extraordinary session of the United Nations Security Council at the request of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Bagheri condemned the US and European states in preventing the condemnation of the assassination Haniyeh.

Bagheri said the international community must stand against the criminal Zionist regime to preserve international peace and stability.

Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed in a strike in Tehran in the early hours of Wednesday. 

António Guterres, for his part said under international law, the Islamic Republic of Iran has the right to legitimate self-defense in response to violations of its national security and territorial integrity.

He expressed concern about the potential for an all-out war in Lebanon and its consequences.

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