Concerns about increased tensions in the Middle East – the night update No permission for runway – possible cause of plane crash known

The devastating explosions in Iran and the assassination of an Islamist Hamas leader in Lebanon have further increased dangerous tensions in the Middle East. Iranian leaders spoke of a terrorist attack after the attack on the anniversary of the death of General Ghassem Soleimani. Initially, no one claimed responsibility for the crime. There is no reason to believe Israel is involved, said U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. The US also had nothing to do with it. The attack, which killed about 100 people, came as Iran’s arch-enemy Israel wages war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and faces Iranian-backed militias such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Hezbollah chief warns Israel

After the deputy head of Hamas’s political bureau, Saleh al-Aruri, was killed in an explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut, the head of Hezbollah warned Israel of an escalation of the conflict with Lebanon. “The murder of Al-Arouri is a dangerous crime that will not go without response and punishment,” Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech on Wednesday. “If the enemy starts a war against Lebanon, we will no longer follow any rules,” Nasrallah said. However, he made no direct threat against Israel or even a declaration of war.

Nasrallah simply said in his speech: “We are not afraid of war and we do not hesitate.” Israel has not claimed responsibility for Al-Aruri’s killing. However, the Hamas leader had been on Israel’s ‘hit list’ for a long time. Israel believes he was involved in planning the devastating October 7 terrorist attack in the Israeli border area that sparked the Gaza war. Al-Arouri had also built closer Hamas ties with Hezbollah and Iran.

Lebanon: does not want to get involved in a war

The killing of Al-Aruri has now brought the Gaza war to Beirut. The government there is trying not to escalate the conflict: “We are very concerned, the Lebanese do not want to be involved, even Hezbollah does not want to be involved in a regional war,” said Minister Bou Habib. He called on Western states to “put pressure on Israel to stop all its violence and all its actions, not only in Lebanon, not only in Beirut, but also in Gaza.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on people to leave Lebanon quickly

Due to the tense situation on the Israeli-Lebanese border, the Foreign Ministry called on German citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible. Germans still in the country must register on Elefand’s crisis preparedness list and leave “as soon as possible,” the Foreign Ministry wrote on Platform X on Wednesday. “An escalation at the Israel-Lebanon border cannot be ruled out. ” , it was said after a meeting of the crisis team.

Expert: Iran has no interest in a comprehensive confrontation

“It is now very important that Hezbollah restores its deterrent capacity, taking into account local circumstances: the Lebanese do not want to get involved in a war,” said Anthony Samrani, editor-in-chief of the Lebanese newspaper L’Orient-Le. Jour Foreign television from the French broadcaster France 24. The Shia Hezbollah does not have the resources for a comprehensive conflict with Israel, “especially given the strong American presence in the region.”

Neither Hezbollah nor its biggest supporter, Iran, are willing to take major retaliatory measures, said political analyst Makram Rabah of the German News Agency. “It has been clear since the beginning of the conflict that Iran has no interest in a full-scale confrontation,” he said. Following the devastating explosions in Iran on Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal newspaper pointed out that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had announced a decisive response in a short statement on the X platform, but had not blamed anyone for the attack.

“With God’s permission, the hand of divine vengeance will appear at the right time and in the right place,” Raisi wrote. The aim of the attack was apparently to further inflame tensions between Israel and Iran at a time of heightened sensitivity between the two sides following the assassination of Hamas leader Al-Aruri, the Wall Street Journal wrote, citing unnamed mentioned people, who are familiar with Israel’s actions. .

What will be important on Thursday

After the explosions in Iran, the search for the perpetrators continues. Meanwhile, fighting continues in the Gaza Strip and the situation for civilians remains catastrophic. (sda/dpa)