Germany, France and Great Britain want an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The USA is sending a submarine to the Middle East. All developments in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
20:31: The US and four European countries are calling on Iran to stop its threats of attack against Israel. A joint statement released on Monday by US President Joe Biden and the heads of state and government of Germany, Great Britain, Italy and France said that such an attack would have “serious consequences for security in the region”. Tehran should “refrain from its continued threats of a military attack on Israel”.
The statement continued that efforts to de-escalate the situation and reach an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip were supported. “There is no time to lose,” the five politicians declared after a joint telephone conversation. Therefore, as proposed by the USA, Egypt and Qatar, negotiations must be resumed this week.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in Washington that the West must be “prepared that there could be a significant series of attacks” on Israel. The US shared the Israeli side’s assessment that this could happen this week.
19:14: Iran is apparently continuing to prepare intensively for an attack on Israel. This is reported by Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, who works for the US news portal “Axios”.
In particular, the Islamist dictatorship’s missile and drone units are currently being brought into position, writes Ravid, citing sources from the US and Israeli military. These preparations “are similar to those carried out by Iran before its attack in April.” You can read more about Iran’s attack in April here.
A spokesman for the US government expects an attack this week. Israel has put its military on the highest alert level, reports the Wall Street Journal. According to Israeli media, however, there are currently no stricter security regulations for the population.
11.21 am: Due to the security situation, the Lufthansa Group is avoiding flights to the region until August 21st. The airline extended the cancellation of flights to Tel Aviv, Tehran, Beirut, Amman and Erbil by a good week on Monday. In addition to the main brand Lufthansa, Swiss and Eurowings are also affected.
10.27 am: Germany, France and Great Britain have called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. There should be “no further delay” in negotiating a ceasefire, stressed Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a joint statement. The fighting in the Palestinian territory must end and the hostages held by the radical Islamic Hamas for ten months must be released.
The three politicians warn Iran and its allies not to further fuel tensions in the region through attacks. “No country and no nation” would benefit from further escalation in the Middle East, the statement says.
9.19 am: Only eleven days after his appointment as Iran’s new Vice President, Mohammad Javad Zarif is resigning from his post and leaving the cabinet of President Massoud Peseschkian. “I am not satisfied with my work and regret that I was not able to meet expectations,” the moderate politician explained on Sunday evening on Platform X. Therefore, he prefers to return to his academic work at the university.
In his statement, Zarif indicated that the selection of new ministers for Peseschkian’s cabinet was the reason for his decision. At least seven of the 19 nominated ministers were not the first choice, according to Zarif. “I only hope that these decisions can still be balanced out with new appointments,” wrote the country’s long-time chief diplomat, without elaborating further.
