Politics Iran's religious leader defends attack on Israel

Iran's religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has defended the missile attack on Israel and encouraged his allies in the region.

"The brilliant action of our armed forces (...) was a completely legal and legitimate act. In fulfilling our duty, we do not hesitate and do not act hastily," said the head of state during a Friday sermon in the capital Tehran. As is customary in these speeches, a sniper rifle stood next to the lectern as a symbol of the fighting spirit.

Khamenei, who according to the constitution has the final say in all strategic matters of the Islamic Republic, also threatened the arch-enemy. "Every strike against the Zionist regime (Israel) is a service to all of humanity," said the 85-year-old. He described the Jewish state as a tool of the Americans. "This accursed regime is rootless, artificial and unstable and is only able to maintain itself with difficulty with the support of the USA." The resistance of Hezbollah and Hamas will prevail, said Khamenei.

Iran's foreign minister for talks in Lebanon

Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Lebanon for talks in view of the military tensions. The visit to the capital Beirut was intended to show Iran's solidarity with the Lebanese people, explained Foreign Office spokesman Ismail Baghai. However, observers suspect that the main issue is the succession of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Iran is the closest ally of the Hezbollah militia, which has been considerably weakened following the death of its leader.

Speaking to journalists, the minister reiterated threats against the arch-enemy Israel. "We have no intention of continuing," said Araghchi. "Should Israel take further action against Iran, our response will be tougher." He added: "Our response will be appropriate and well thought out." He was accompanied by the Lebanese armed forces under high security precautions.

Biden advises Israel against attacks on Iran's oil industry

US President Joe Biden advised Israel against attacking the infrastructure of the Iranian oil industry in view of the counter-attack announced by the government in Tel Aviv. "If I were in their shoes, I would think about alternatives other than attacking oil fields," said Biden. According to him, the Israelis have not yet decided how they want to respond to the Iranian attack on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, Biden had already spoken out against an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Heavy bombardments shake Beirut

During the night, Beirut was once again the target of massive bombardments by the Israeli military. According to unconfirmed reports, the airstrike targeted Hashim Safi al-Din, head of the executive council of the Hezbollah militia. He is considered the most promising candidate to succeed Nasrallah. Israel bombed a meeting of the Hezbollah leadership in an underground bunker around midnight, at which Safi al-Din was also present, reported the "New York Times", citing three Israeli officials. It is still unclear whether Safi al-Din was actually in the bunker at the time. Hezbollah has not commented on the matter.

According to the Israeli military, around 250 Hezbollah members have been killed since the start of the ground offensive in southern Lebanon. Israel's army also announced that a total of more than 2,000 military targets had been attacked, including weapons depots and launching pads. Hezbollah itself did not provide any information on casualties in the south. None of the information could be independently verified.

German Armed Forces bring another 219 Germans from Beirut to Germany

The German Armed Forces flew a further 219 particularly vulnerable German citizens from Beirut to Germany. According to the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin, a total of 460 people were flown out of Lebanon as part of the so-called diplomatic pick-up. Further flights are being prepared depending on requirements and the situation. The Airbus A330 of the multinational air transport unit MMU landed in Cologne/Bonn on Friday evening.

Another air raid in Israel's north

Meanwhile, the mutual shelling continued. According to the army, towns and villages in the north of Israel were again attacked with rockets from Lebanon. In the greater area of the port city of Haifa, 20 incoming missiles were registered. Further north and east in the Galilee, there were also air raids in numerous places. Some of the rockets had been intercepted, the rest had hit open areas. The army did not initially report any casualties or major damage.

Israeli army calls on Lebanese to flee

The Israeli army warned the inhabitants of dozens of towns in southern Lebanon of planned attacks and called on them to flee immediately. Anyone who is in the vicinity of Hezbollah members, facilities and weapons is putting their life in danger, an Israeli military spokesman wrote in Arabic on the X platform. It was to be expected that any house used by Hezbollah for military purposes would be attacked.

The locations mentioned by the spokesman are almost all south of the Litani River. Behind this river, which flows from east to west about 30 kilometers north of the de facto Israeli-Lebanese border, the Israelis want to push back the Hezbollah militia. The aim is to restore security in northern Israel so that around 60,000 evacuated citizens can return home. A UN resolution also stipulates that Hezbollah should withdraw behind the Litani River.

Israeli bombardments also on the border with Syria

According to Lebanese reports, the Israeli military also attacked targets near a border crossing between Lebanon and Syria. Security circles and border officials reported that the Masnaa crossing had to be closed as a result of the attacks. When asked, the army in Israel stated that it was looking into the matter. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) confirmed the attack.

The television station CNN showed footage of a large crater that is said to document the impact on the road. This information could not be independently verified at this time. The crossing has been used by tens of thousands of people in recent days to flee to Syria. According to the Israeli army, Hezbollah is said to be smuggling weapons into Lebanon via Syria.

According to the Israeli army, it destroyed a three and a half kilometer long tunnel in the border area. Warplanes bombed the tunnel near the Masnaa border crossing on Thursday, according to the army. The tunnel was so spacious that large quantities of weapons could be smuggled through it. It had also served as a storage area for war material, the army emphasized.

SDA