The situation in the already heated Middle East is escalating, with sworn enemies Israel and Iran, well-armed, exchanging fire with bombings, ballistic missile launches and drones, for three days. Air raid sirens sounded before explosions were heard in several Israeli and Iranian cities, whose residents sought shelter in fear of new attacks.
Iran also launched missile attacks on the Chaim Weizmann Institute of Science near Tel Aviv in retaliation for the killing of 14 of its nuclear scientists.
The Israeli attacks targeted an oil facility in Shahran, as well as the Iranian Ministry of Defense building, which Tehran claims suffered minor damage. And while the number of victims on both sides is growing, neither Israel nor Iran is letting up with attacks or threats.
Tehran’s response will be even “heavier and stronger” if Israel continues its attacks, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has threatened. The Iranian foreign minister said his country does not want the conflict to escalate – unless it is forced to.
The tone of US President Donald Trump is also different, as he sent a harsh message to Iran last night that it will face a response like never before if American bases are attacked. Today he stated that peace will soon be established between Israel and Iran.
Trump, who presents himself as a peacemaker and is criticized by his political base for not preventing the conflict between Israel and Iran, recalled other disputes he has resolved, including between India and Pakistan. He added that during his first term, the decades-long conflict between Serbia and Kosovo threatened to escalate into war, but that he, as he says, stopped it.
