Spotlight on Iran (May 1-8, 2024)
Senior Iranian officials continued to present the Iranian attack on Israel on April 13-14, 2024, as an Iranian success and a defeat for Israel. Iran welcomed Hamas’ announcement that it agreed to the ceasefire proposal in Gaza. The Iranian foreign minister spoke with the head of Hamas’ political bureau, and the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry praised the “political wisdom of the resistance.” At the same time, Iran condemned the Israeli military operation in Rafah. The Saudi newspaper al-Hadath reported that several weeks ago, Qods Force commander Esmail Qaani had visited Beirut and discussed future military measures with Hezbollah’s secretary-general in light of developments on the Gaza Strip and Lebanese fronts. In early May 2024, sources in Iraq and Iran reported Qaani’s visit to Baghdad for consultations with the heads of the pro-Iranian Shiite militias. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq continued to claim responsibility for attacks on “vital targets” in Israeli territory, also claiming that they had carried out an attack on Tel Aviv for the first time. The IDF confirmed interceptions of two aircraft from east Israel and another in the Eilat area. The Houthis in Yemen announced the opening of the fourth phase of fighting in the conflict and threatened to attack vessels sailing to Israel in the Mediterranean Sea as well.
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