Ahead of the feared strike, ambassadors abroad were urged to tell Israel it must defend itself “at all costs”
As Israel prepares for the promised response by Hezbollah and Iran to the recent assassinations of several prominent terrorist leaders, the Foreign Ministry has distributed a document to its ambassadors around the world setting the stage for a possible Israeli response.
According to Channel 12 news, the text was formulated during several meetings involving Foreign Minister Israel Katz and other senior officials, and it makes clear that Israel will not allow an Iranian or Hezbollah attack to go unanswered.
The document, which describes Iran as the “head of the snake” and “the main instigator of regional instability,” asks Israeli diplomats serving abroad to emphasize that “while Israel always prefers diplomatic solutions, it remains committed to protecting its citizens at all costs, acting as any responsible, democratic and law-abiding nation would do in similar circumstances.”
“Iran is the primary instigator of regional instability, funding, training, arming and directing its proxies, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria, and the Houthis in Yemen,” said an English-language copy of the document obtained by The Times of Israel.
“Over the past ten months, Iran has carried out relentless terrorist attacks against Israel and its citizens, launching hundreds of missiles and drones from its territory and threatening further synchronized attacks by these proxies,” he added, noting “Hezbollah’s sustained assault from Lebanon against Israel,” which “involved more than 6,500 rockets, more than 100 anti-tank missiles and hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles, killing 44 people and injuring dozens, including many civilians.”
This includes the 12 children killed by a Hezbollah rocket strike in the Druze village of Majdal Shams, which “represented a red line that Israel could not ignore.”
People take part in a march called by Palestinian and Lebanese youth organizations in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon on August 5, 2024, to protest the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (portrait) and a Hezbollah military commander. (Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)
“Israel’s response targeted a legitimate military objective, eliminating Hezbollah military commander Fouad Shukr, the organization’s chief strategist, on July 30. This operation was carried out with exceptional precision to minimize civilian casualties,” Israeli diplomats stressed.
“Israel asserts its right to defend its security and the safety of its citizens against Iranian terrorism,” the document continues, saying that Tehran’s actions “also threaten global stability” through its nuclear program, its supply of weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine and “attacks on maritime vessels in the Red Sea via Houthi proxies.”
“The international community must condemn the actions of Iran and its proxies and exert effective pressure to halt the escalation provoked by Iran. Iran and its proxies must be held solely responsible for their attacks and their consequences,” the Israeli ambassadors were instructed to declare.
Both Hezbollah and Iran have vowed to avenge the deaths of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shoukr, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut on Tuesday night, and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in a bombing in Tehran hours later. Israel has neither publicly claimed nor denied responsibility for Haniyeh’s death.
Iran has threatened to “punish” Israel for the killing, warning that its response would be harsher than that of April 13-14, when it fired 300 drones and missiles, almost all intercepted, at Israel in retaliation for an alleged Israeli strike in Syria that killed two generals of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Israeli Defense Systems Shoot Down Iranian Missiles Over Jerusalem ???????? pic.twitter.com/rB9r5X06Qv
– Israel ישראל (@Israel) April 13, 2024
Despite threats from Iran and Hezbollah, no further major strikes have yet been launched, with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah insisting that the uncertainty over when it will respond is “part of the punishment” for Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that Israel “is at a very high level of preparedness for any scenario, both defensive and offensive” and vowed to “extract a very high price for any act of aggression against us, on any front.”
Officials from the U.S.-led multinational coalition, which is reportedly preparing to help repel an expected Iranian attack, have warned Israel not to overreact to such an attack, according to a report by the Kan national broadcaster on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the United States has been working intensively to de-escalate the conflict, with White House officials telling the Washington Post that diplomatic efforts to moderate Iran’s retaliation could be bearing fruit – after the United States rushed forces to the region and sent messages to Iran warning of dire consequences for the new government of President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
