Israel braces for retaliation

JERUSALEM/GAZA — Israel and its allies were preparing on Monday for an expected retaliatory attack from Iran and its allies after the killing of senior military leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah amid a flurry of diplomatic activities by the international community to ease the Middle East tensions.

Israel has claimed responsibility for the killing of Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah commander, but has not commented on the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' politburo chief, which Hamas and Iran have attributed to Israel.

Iran has rejected calls for negotiation regarding its planned response and has vowed to punish Israel.

"Iran seeks to establish stability in the region, but this will only come with punishing the aggressor and creating deterrence against the adventurism of the Zionist regime (Israel)," Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday, adding that an Iranian reaction was inevitable.

Israeli leaders have indicated the country is prepared for an Iranian-led attack, including potential actions from Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi forces in Yemen, and Iraqi militias.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the Israeli forces were preparing for "a swift transition to offense".

Diplomatic pressure has mounted to avert an escalation between Iran and Israel.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Russia on Aug 12-14, Russia's RIA state news agency reported on Tuesday, citing a diplomatic source.

A European diplomat in Tel Aviv said "a coordinated response" from Iran and its regional allies was expected but de-escalation efforts persisted.

The Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation is to meet on Wednesday at the request of "Palestine and Iran", to discuss developments in the region, an OIC official said.

The United Nations' human rights chief Volker Turk called on "all parties, along with those states with influence, to act urgently to de-escalate what has become a very precarious situation".

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein, in a joint statement on Monday, "agreed to make every effort to avoid a regional escalation".

French President Emmanuel Macron also appealed for "restraint" in the Middle East, during conversations with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

However, more US forces were moving to the region to bolster defenses in and around Israel. The United States was deploying additional warships, including a guided missile cruiser and missile destroyer, as well as another squadron of fighter jets, Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported.

Passengers stranded

A growing number of airlines, including Ryanair, Wizz Air and Lufthansa have suspended flights to Israel or Lebanon due to concerns over instability.

At Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport, some international flights were canceled while other flights were delayed, leaving passengers packed at the departure terminal. Passengers who spent hours waiting were sleeping on the floor waiting for the next flight.

Roy Steinmetz, spokesman for the Israel Airports Authority, said the airline cancellations were expected to have an immediate effect, with tens of thousands of fewer passengers set to pass through the country's main international airport compared to the same time last year.

Also in Lebanon, an Israeli strike on a home in the southern Lebanese town of Mayfadoun on Tuesday killed four people, medical and security sources said.

In Iraq, several US personnel were injured in a suspected rocket attack at a military base, US defense officials said on Monday, in what has been a recent uptick in strikes on US forces by Iranian-backed militias.

In Gaza, at least eight Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle carrying aid in central Gaza, Palestinian sources reported on Monday.

The vehicle was hit in the al-Matahen area, south of Deir al-Balah city, the sources told Xinhua News Agency. Medical officials confirmed that eight people died in the attack.

The Israeli army has not commented on the incident yet.

Xinhua - Agencies