Fearing a retaliatory strike from Israel, the Iranian regime is threatening to target Arab states if they allow the Israeli military to use their territory or airspace to launch a counterattack.
Iran fears that Israel could hit its nuclear weapons program or oil fields in response to its October 1 attack. The Mullah regime fired more than 180 missiles into Israel after Israeli airstrikes on Beirut obliterated nearly the entire leadership of Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based Iranian proxy terrorist group.
“Many Arab nations such as Jordan and the United Arab Emirates host U.S. bases and oil facilities vital to the world economy,” NBC NEWS reported Friday, “Iran’s warning about helping Israel is raising fears in the region that these sites could become targets.”
Iran also appears to be begging China and India — both big consumers of Iranian oil, to pressure Israel into giving up its plans to strike back at Tehran, news reports suggest.
Reuters news agency reported Friday:
During meetings this week, Iran warned Saudi Arabia it could not guarantee the safety of the Gulf kingdom’s oil facilities if Israel were given any assistance in carrying out an attack, a senior Iranian official and an Iranian diplomat told Reuters.Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the Saudi royal court, said: “The Iranians have stated: ‘If the Gulf states open up their airspace to Israel, that would be an act of war’.”The diplomat said Tehran had sent a clear message to Riyadh that its allies in countries such as Iraq or Yemen might respond if there was any regional support for Israel against Iran.A potential Israeli strike was the focus of talks on Wednesday between Saudi de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who was on a Gulf tour to rally support, Gulf and Iranian sources said. (…)The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, which is de-facto led by Saudi Arabia, has enough spare oil capacity to make up for any loss of Iranian supply if an Israeli retaliation knocked out some of the country’s facilities.
President Joe Biden is opposed to an Israeli counter-strike targeting Iran’s rogue nuclear program or its oil facilities — a key source of the regime’s terrorism financing. “Jerusalem has pledged a significant retaliation, but Biden — who directed US forces to help thwart the Iranian attack — has expressed opposition to targeting Iran’s nuclear or oil production sites,” The Times of Israel noted Friday.
The Iranian threat appears to be having some impact on the Arab states — most of them relying on the U.S. naval or military presence for their security. “The threats through diplomatic channels have prompted Arab states to tell the U.S. that they won’t aid any attack on Iran,” The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
Lebanon-based Hezbollah terror group fired hundreds of rockets into northern Israel as most Israelis on Saturday marked Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) disclosed.
“Throughout the weekend of Yom Kippur, approximately 320 projectiles that were fired by the Hezbollah terrorist organization crossed from Lebanon into Israel (Saturday, October 12th),” the Israeli military said in a press statement. ‘The IDF will continue to defend the State of Israel and its people against the threat posed by the Hezbollah terrorist organization.”
“Over Yom Kippur holiday, “three [Israeli civilians were] lightly hurt by the force of a rocket that exploded in the Western Galilee,” Times of Israel reported. “Another 12 people were hurt while running to shelters amid rocket attacks, the [Magen David Adom] ambulance service adds.”
Security measures were beefed up across Israel in the wake of recent Palestinian terrorist attacks. “Synagogues in major cities and susceptible areas will be under armed guard on Yom Kippur amid concerns that terrorists will try to launch attacks on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar,” the Israeli news website YNET reported. “Police deployment was already spread to major highways and city centers with special attention placed on mixed Jewish and Arab cities where tensions have traditionally been high during the holiday.”
The Israeli military was also on heightened alert over the Jewish holiday. “Following a situation assessment, the IDF has announced that ahead of Yom Kippur’s fast, the defense of settlements in the area of the Central Command region, and the security barrier, required additional reinforcements. Additionally, forces were prepared for carious scenarios in the sector,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
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