Israel: Missiles fired at Israel from Yemen and Lebanon in response to Hezbollah leader Nasrallah’s death: Top developments
A missile was fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on Saturday, which triggered air sirens in the country.
As per the news agency AFP, “The missile force… carried out an operation targeting… ‘Ben Gurion’… Airport,” the Iran-backed group said in a statement, adding it had named the missile “Palestine 2”.
The Houthis rebels wanted to target the Israeli Prime Minster as he returned after attending the UNGA meeting in New York, USA.
Air raid sirens sounded across central Israel on Saturday including in Tel Aviv and large bangs were heard after a missile was fired from Yemen and intercepted, the Israeli military said.
This marks the second time in less than two days that the Houthis have launched an attack at Israel, following the interception of another missile early on Friday.
The Houthi movement earlier mourned Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, its ally in an Iran-backed alliance opposing Israel, following his death in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.
Long-range rockets were also launched into Israel toward the Jerusalem area from Lebanese territory, IDF informed on the social media platform X.
Sirens were heard in several West Bank settlements and the eastern part of Israel.
This attack from Lebanese territory marked the deepest rocket fire carried out by Hezbollah in the recent fighting as sirens sounding in towns some 140 kilometers from the Lebanon border.
Iran calls for urgent UNSC meeting
According to a letter sent by Iran’s UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani to the United Nations Security Council, Iran has requested an urgent meeting of the 15-member body to address Israel’s recent actions in Lebanon and the broader region. The request comes in the wake of Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly warns against any attack on its diplomatic premises and representatives in violation of the foundational principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and reiterates that it will not tolerate any repeat of such aggression”, Iravani stated in the letter.
Furthermore, the Iranian ambassador asserted that Iran is prepared to take all necessary measures to defend its vital national and security interests, as permitted under international law. “Iran will not hesitate to exercise its inherent rights under international law to take every measure in defence of its vital national and security interests,” he wrote.
International reaction
US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris
President Joe Biden said Saturday that the Israeli strike that killed Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah was a “measure of justice” for victims of a four-decade “reign of terror,”.
Biden also noted that the operation to take out Nasrallah took place in the broader context of the conflict that began with Hamas’ massacre of Israelis on October 7, 2023.
“Nasrallah, the next day, made the fateful decision to join hands with Hamas and open what he called a ‘northern front’ against Israel,” Biden said in a statement.
He also noted that Hezbollah under Nasrallah’s watch has been responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans, Israelis and Lebanese.
However, Biden reiterated that he wants to see cease-fires both in Gaza and between Israel and Hezbollah. “It is time for these deals to close, for the threats to Israel to be removed, and for the broader Middle East region to gain greater stability,” Biden said.
US Vice President Kamala Harris also said in a statement Saturday that echoed Biden’s description of a “measure of justice.”
“President Biden and I do not want to see conflict in the Middle East escalate into a broader regional war,” She added, “Diplomacy remains the best path forward to protect civilians and achieve lasting stability in the region.”
UN President
UN President António Guterres also commented on the recent developments in the region and wrote, “I’m gravely concerned by the dramatic escalation of events in Beirut in the last 24 hours. This cycle of violence must stop now. All sides must step back from the brink. The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, as well as the wider region, cannot afford an all-out war.”
Russia
Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov described the killing as “not simply a political assassination. It’s very cynical as an act.”
According to Lavrov, many people believe that Israel’s motive behind the assassination was to provoke Iran and the United States “to unleash a full-blown war in the entire region.”
Lavrov said, “I think — well not even I think but a lot of people say — that Israel wants to create the grounds to drag the US directly into this, and so to create these grounds is trying to provoke Iran.” He also praised the Iranian leadership for their responsible behavior in response to the situation, saying, “The Iran leadership, I think, are behaving extremely responsibly. And this is necessary. This is something that we should take due note of.”
