Iran Warns of “Moral Duty” to Avenge Hamas Leader as Shoigu Arrives in Tehran

Previously: Great Satan Prepares to Defend Israel Against Islamic World as Jews Prepare Bomb Shelters

I was more impressed with the first Iran revenge missile/drone attack on Israel than some, who downplayed it as not a big deal.

It was a big deal because it showed that Iran can hit Israel. They were not actually trying to do damage, they called and warned the missiles were coming. They just wanted to prove the point that they can reach out and touch someone.

However, having proved that point, it seems like now, the hype, there is an implication they are going to like, level a city block in Tel Aviv or something.

The Guardian:

Iran has called on foreign ambassadors based in Tehran to warn of the country’s moral duty to punish Israel for what it sees as its “adventurism” and law-breaking in assassinating Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader, a week ago in the Iranian capital.

Iran has also secured an emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Wednesday where it will try to press Arab states to back its right to take reprisal actions against Israel.

A Valiasr Square billboard put up in Tehran this week depicts the president, Masoud Pezeshkian (right), and the late Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh.

Many leaders in the Gulf are willing to condemn Israel’s actions but have also been calling for Iran to show restraint. The meeting will be held at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Israeli leaders have said they are prepared for an Iranian-led attack. The defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said in response to mounting Iranian threats on Monday that the Israeli military was ready for a “swift transition to offence”, echoing comments by the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who said on Sunday the country was already engaged in a multi-front war with Iran and its allies.

Tehran airport cancelled a number of incoming and outgoing flights on Sunday evening, suggesting it was fearful that civil aircraft may be caught up in military activity. In a previous military exchange in January 2020 between the US and Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian civil flight from Tehran to Kyiv, killing all 176 occupants on board.

Russia’s security council secretary, Sergei Shoigu, arrived in Tehran on Monday for talks with the Iranian leadership, including the president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Shoigu, previously Russia’s defence minister, was removed from that post by Vladimir Putin but remains central to Russia’s defence co-operation with Iran. There is no sign that Russia is urging restraint.

No.

No, I think Russia is done urging restraint.

It didn’t really pay off.