Yesterday, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised Singaporeans to defer all travel to Iran due to “the latest security situation” there.
What’s “the latest security situation”, you may ask?
Well, here’s 7 facts about it and its aftermath, as well as why it will have serious consequences in the region.
What Happened
On 13 April 2024, air raid sirens and explosions were heard across Israel.
Why?
The country was shooting down Iranian missiles.
More than 300 projectiles, including about 170 drones and over 120 ballistic missiles, were fired towards Israel.
Roughly 350 rockets were fired from Iran, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Israel Is Mostly Unscathed
According to the Israeli military, “99%” of the projectiles were intercepted by Israel’s aerial defense systems and its allies.
Only a small number actually reached Israel territory.
The attack targeted the Nevatim airbase, where Israel’s early April strike on the Iranian consultate was supposedly launched from.
Iran’s attack on Israel is said to have caused only light structural damage in the south of the country. So far, it’s been reported that one young girl has been injured.
Reason Behind The Attack
Israel and Iran are long-standing rivals and have been engaged in a shadow war for years.
This shadow war, which falls short of direct military confrontation, has been characterised by war through other means such as proxies, cyber attacks, and economic sanctions.
Kind of like the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union.
Since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, tensions have have escalated.
Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria have launched attacks aimed at US military positions in those countries and Iran’s leadership has warned that attacks by its allies won’t stop until Israel’s war in Gaza ends.
In early April, Iran accused Israel of bombing its diplomatic complex in Syria, causing fears to spike.
Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel would be punished for the attack, while the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said the strike would be met with “punishment and revenge”.
Obviously, after hearing these statements, the region was on edge, not knowing when the “revenge” would occur (and, as you know by now, it took place on 13 April).
Iran Warned Jordan To Not Support Israel
On the day of the attacks, Iran’s semi-official news agency Fars, quoting a military source, reported that Iran is watching Jordan for any moves in support of Israel during Tehran’s retaliatory attacks, warning the country may become the “next target”.
RAF Jets Deployed To Incercept
The British Ministry of Defence said British Royal Air Force jets in the Middle East “will intercept any airborne attacks within range of our existing missions, as required” in response to Iran’s attack on Israel.
In a statement, the ministry said this was to “encourage de-escalation and prevent further attacks”.
Trump Says “America Supports Israel”
In response to the attack, Donald Trump took to Truth Social with this post:
The post reads: “America supports Israel!”
This was followed by another post, where Trump claims Iran’s attack on Israel would have never happened if he was in office.
Now, how about the sitting president?
Biden Says US Commitment to Israel’s Security Remains “Ironclad”
US President Joe Biden said that he has met with his national security team for an update on Iran’s attacks against Israel.
In the tweet, Biden says that the US “commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad.”
I just met with my national security team for an update on Iran’s attacks against Israel. Our commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad. pic.twitter.com/kbywnsvmAx
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 13, 2024
Consequences On The Region – Tensions and Instability
Tensions are at an all-time high now following Iran’s attack.
While tensions have always been high in the region, Iran’s attack on Israel has undoubtedly escalated the situation, putting everyone on edge.
Leaders of the G7 nations have accused Iran of further stepping “towards the destabilisation of the region”, saying that Tehran “risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation”.
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said Israel will exact a price from Iran when the time is “right”.
Because of this, the region is still on edge, unsure of when Israel will strike back at Iran.
And, after Israel strikes back, there’s no telling if the latter will attack back once again.
Remember: prior to that, it was a “shadow war”. Now, people are calling it a “hot war”, whereby it’s a “real” war with active military hostilities.
In the meantime, Israel has continued attacks on Gaza and Palestinians.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement on Telegram that Israelis have shot and killed four civilians in the occupied West Bank since 12 April.
The ministry added that over 65 other Palestinians were wounded in the same period, with the majority of injuries caused by gunfire from Israeli forces and settlers.
The Wafa news agency also reported that Israeli air attacks hit a house northwest of the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza strip on 14 April, killing five people and injuring dozens.
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