“We regret that the missiles that fell on Israel were paid for with money laundered by the Iranian regime in the Slovenian state-owned NLB bank at the time when the government was led by the party of Tanja Fajon. No one responsible for the IranNLBGate affair has been charged,” the leader of the Slovenian opposition condemned the Iranian attack on Israel and the civilian population.
Iran fired some 200 rockets into Israel, the Israeli army reported today, adding that sirens were sounding across the country, foreign news agencies reported. Shortly afterwards, several explosions were heard over Jerusalem. The Tehran attack, which was also confirmed by Iran, follows intensified Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
“Recently, rockets were fired from Iran towards Israel,” the Israeli army reported. Sirens warning of attacks sounded throughout Israel, including in Jerusalem, where, according to the French news agency AFP, dozens of explosions were heard. Several rockets were intercepted over the city. “You must remain in protected areas until further notice. The explosions you are hearing are the result of interceptions or missiles falling,” the Israeli army added, according to the British BBC.
Iran is playing with fire
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the missile strike on Israel was in response to the killings of the leader of the Shi’ite Hezbollah movement, Hassan Nasrallah; the political leader of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, Ismail Haniyeh, and Iranian General Abbas Nilforushan.
The Guard also threatened that Tehran would attack Israel again if it responded to their attack. “If the Zionist regime responds to Iran’s operations, it will face devastating attacks,” they added.
The Iranian attack follows recent intensified Israeli attacks and the launch of ground operations in Lebanon. An unnamed senior White House official previously told several media outlets that an Iranian missile strike was imminent. He stressed that the US supports preparations to defend Israel and warned that any such attack would have grave consequences for Tehran.
Before the attack, however, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israel was taking the threat seriously, according to the Slovenian Press Agency (STA). “We ask the public to follow the Command’s guidelines. When the siren sounds, we ask you to enter the protected area and remain there until we inform you otherwise,” he added. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a recent speech to the Iranian regime, made it clear that he would respond to an Iranian threat with a direct attack on Iran.
Following today’s attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Iran had made a “big mistake” for which it will not go unpunished. “Whoever attacks us, we will attack them back,” he added, making a direct threat to Tehran. “Iran has made a big mistake tonight, and it will pay for it,” the Israeli Prime Minister told the National Security Council.
Iran’s attack has been condemned by the West
US President Joe Biden has ordered the US military to help defend Israel and shoot down the Iranian missiles aimed at Israel, the White House has announced. Meanwhile, the US military has already intercepted several missiles, a US official said, according to BBC reports.
Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, was very reticent in his statement. He made no mention of Iran’s culpability, but earlier in the day, he regularly condemned Israel’s actions: “This has to stop. We urgently need a ceasefire”, Guterres wrote on the X network. The Socialists are still making pacts with the Palestinians, and their anti-Semitism is very evident.
Among Slovenian politicians, Janez Janša was the first to condemn the attack: “We strongly condemn the Iranian attack on Israel and its civilian population. This is completely irresponsible and suicidal behaviour by an oppressive regime of the Ayatollahs, which is endangering its own population. We regret that the missiles that fell on Israel were paid for with money laundered by the Iranian regime in the Slovenian state-owned NLB bank at the time when the government was led by the party of Tanja Fajon. No one responsible for the IranNLBGate affair has been charged.”
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon wrote the following on X: “I strongly condemn the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East that has taken place with the Iranian attack on Israel. We are witnessing escalation rather than de-escalation in the region. We are seeing new attacks instead of a ceasefire. We need a ceasefire and restraint on all sides.”
C. Š.
