April 15, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

Germany, France and Belgium all summoned their Iranian ambassadors Monday as European nations continue to strongly condemn Iran's attack on Israel over the weekend.

Belgium opted to summon its Iranian ambassador, Seyed Mohammad Ali Robatjazi, according to a statement from the Belgian foreign ministry. Officials used the visit to convey their "strong condemnation of Iran's attack on Israel" to the ambassador, the statement added.

Iran’s ambassador was summoned to hear France condemn “with the greatest firmness” Tehran’s attack against Israel, the French foreign ministry said in a statement. In the wake of the attack, Iran now “runs the risk of an escalation in which no one has any interest,” France warned, calling on the regime to “cease immediately” its provocations.

Finally, the German government summoned the Iranian ambassador in Berlin, a spokesperson for the Federal Foreign Office told a news conference.

This all comes after the Iranian government summoned the German, British and French ambassadors in Tehran on Sunday, according to Iranian state-affiliated news agency Tasnim. According to the Tasnim report, the three ambassadors were summoned over the “irresponsible stances” they took in response to Iran's attack on Israel.  

The Israeli war cabinet has reviewed military plans for a potential response against Iran during a nearly three-hour meeting on Monday, an official said.

The war cabinet remains determined to act, but it is not clear at this point if a decision has been made.

There is a sense that Israel must act quickly, the official said.  

The war cabinet also reviewed diplomatic options to further isolate Iran, which could be carried out in addition to a military response.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Monday that he will speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express “solidarity with Israel” in the face of Iran’s attack and discuss how to “prevent further escalation.” 

Sunak explained “all sides must show restraint” and noted that G7 leaders will work together to coordinate “diplomatic measures” over the coming days. 

The British prime minister condemned Iran for seeking to “plunge the Middle East into a new crisis” and detailed: “The scale of the attack and the fact that it was targeted directly at Israel are without precedent. It was a reckless and dangerous escalation.” 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday the US has spent the past 36 hours “coordinating a diplomatic response to seek to prevent escalation” following a retaliatory Iranian attack on Israel this weekend.

“Strength and wisdom need to be different sides of the same coin,” Blinken said in a seemingly implicit call for Israel to exercise restraint in its response. Blinken noted he has been in contact with counterparts in the region “and will continue to do so in the hours and days ahead.”

As CNN reported, President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US would not participate in offensive moves against Iran.

But, he added that "what this weekend demonstrated is that Israel did not have to and does not have to defend itself alone when it is the victim of aggression, the victim of an attack."

An Israeli official has confirmed to CNN that the war cabinet meeting is over. 

The official said that at this stage they had no details on what was discussed or decided.

The war cabinet met to deliberate over the timing and scope of a response to Iran's attack on Israel, the officials said. In addition to a potential military response, the war cabinet is also mulling diplomatic options to further isolate Iran on the world stage.

Israeli gunfire killed one person and critically wounded another in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, on Monday, the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Health said. 

The ministry said the other person had a critical chest injury "due to occupation forces' gunfire in Nablus."

For their part, Israeli police say that security forces killed what they described as a “terrorist” in Nablus in the occupied West Bank during an operation to arrest a wanted man. It said border police, together with Israel Defense Forces (IDF) entered Nablus to arrest a wanted person in a statement Monday. As the arrest was made, “violent disturbances against the forces began” and a man who threw an explosive device at the Israeli forces was shot dead.

“In addition to this, another person who disrupted order was shot in the leg after endangering the security of the forces.”

Security forces also opened fire on a “suspicious vehicle” that drove toward the forces at speed and did not respond to their calls, resulting in the injury of the driver of the vehicle.

Israel was set to take its first steps toward a ground offensive in Rafah this week, but has delayed those plans as it mulls a response to Iran’s attack, two Israeli sources tell CNN.

Iran launched 300 missiles and drones toward Israel overnight Sunday, bringing a new phase of tension, uncertainty and confrontation in the Middle East.

The attack has prompted Israel to delay its plans for an offensive in Rafah, where more than a million people are currently sheltering. The Israeli Air Force had planned on dropping leaflets on parts of the city on Monday, the sources said. One Israeli official said Israel remains determined to carry out a ground offensive in the southern city, although the timing of civilian evacuations and the coming ground offensive remains unclear at the moment. The Israeli military declined to comment.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stressed the importance of invading Rafah in order to dismantle Hamas’s remaining battalions, despite significant pressure from the United States to call off an all-out ground offensive. The future of the war in Gaza and a coming ground offensive in Rafah are also factoring into the war cabinet’s debate about a potential response to Iran’s attack.

A military response that risks escalating the conflict with Iran further would pull the military’s attention and resources away from Gaza, where Israel’s government has vowed to hand Hamas a total defeat.

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby reiterated Monday morning that President Joe Biden is focused on preventing Iran’s attack against Israel from spiraling into a wider regional conflict. 

Pressed on whether it’s the White House position that Israel should not retaliate, Kirby said that’s ultimately up to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government but that the US wants to see tensions de-escalate. 

“We respect their sovereign decision-making process. What we want to see is de-escalation of the tensions. We don't want to see a wider war," Kirby said.

As chaos ensued after thousands of Palestinians were turned away from returning to their homes in northern Gaza on Sunday, a 5-year-old girl was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers, her mother said.

Video shows a man carrying a 5-year-old girl named Sally Abu Laila, who was bleeding from her head, with people crowding around her in panic trying to cover her wound.

Her mother Sabreen told CNN her daughter was in her arms when Israeli soldiers shot at her. Sabreen, alongside her four children, was trying to cross through the checkpoint, when two young men squeezed in between her and other women waiting in line, prompting Israeli soldiers to fire at them.

Eventually, she said she managed to get to Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital where her daughter is undergoing treatment. She told CNN she is still in intensive care. CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment on reports that its soldiers fired shots at civilians trying to head up north, but has not received a response.

Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said reports that people could return to their homes in northern Gaza were false. “The northern Gaza Strip continues to be an active war zone and return to the area is not currently permitted,” IDF said.

Read more about what happened to thousands of Palestinians as they attempted to return home here.