President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran has issued a stern warning to the Israeli regime in the event of any act of aggression against Iranian territory.

President Raisi has sent a pointed warning to West Jerusalem | Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has threatened Israel with annihilation if it attempts to attack Iran again. ● Raisi arrived in Pakistan on Monday for a three-day visit. He addressed the recent tensions between Tehran and West Jerusalem at an event in Punjab on Tuesday.

💬 “If the Zionist regime once again makes a mistake and attacks the sacred land of Iran, the situation will be different, and it is not clear whether anything will remain of this regime,” the state news agency IRNA quoted Raisi as saying.

■ Nothing will remain of Israeli regime if it attacks Iran: Raisi (IRNA)

Robert Inlakesh | Iran’s retaliatory attack on Israel was framed in the West as a reckless attempt to spark a major regional war, but in reality, Israel has been attacking Iran for decades. | As is routinely the case with Western-backed wars, the corporate media’s timeline begins at the moment that suits their narrative. We have seen this play out recently, with the attempt to rob the Gaza war of all contexts before October 7, 2023. Similarly, when it comes to Israel’s conflict with Iran, the two have been embroiled in what is referred to as a “shadow war,” the details of which are pretty shocking. ■ While the international media’s attention was riveted on Iran’s retaliatory strikes against Israel, drawing great focus to some 300 drones and missiles used in the attack, no major deal was made of Israel’s strike on April 1 against the consular segment of Iran’s embassy in Damascus, Syria, that killed a dozen people, including seven Iranian officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In this unprecedented act of aggression against Iranian soil, breaking international diplomatic norms, the Israelis were shielded by the U.S. government at the United Nations Security Council, blocking any condemnation of this act.

According to reports from local media, the largest and most important US military bases in eastern Syria have been targeted by missile attacks. Four missiles were launched at the al-Omar oil field base. The Kharab al-Jir base was targeted with three missiles and a drone was also sent to the location. | At least one of the missiles struck the Kharab al-Jir base is reported to have caused a fire. The missile attack comes after two months in which US bases in eastern Syria were not targeted. Reports of casualties at the Kharab al-Jir base remain unconfirmed. ● The attacks on the al-Omar and Kharab al-Jir bases, which occurred less than an hour apart, amount to a major increase in tensions. In February, the al-Omar oil field base was targeted with rocket shells, causing only material damage.

■ Missiles, drone hit two US military bases in eastern Syria (PressTV)
■ Rockets fired at US base in Syria – Reuters (RT.com)

Israel has vowed to respond to Iran’s unprecedented attack without saying when or how, leaving the region bracing for further escalation after months of unrest linked to the ongoing war in Gaza. | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday his country would be the one to decide whether and how to respond to Iran’s major air assault earlier this week, brushing off calls for restraint from close allies. ● Israel has vowed to respond to Iran’s unprecedented attack without saying when or how, leaving the region bracing for further escalation after months of unrest linked to the ongoing war in Gaza. ● Israel’s allies have been urging Israel since the attack to hold back on any response that could spiral. These calls were repeated on Wednesday during visits by the British and German foreign ministers.

■ Mediators urge Israel for a face-saving response, while Israel outlines 3 scenarios (albawaba.com)
■ Israel 'will make own decisions' in response to Iran attack, says Netanyahu after meeting with Cameron (LBC News)
■ Israel: "The Decision has been made" - Timing is now the issue for Iran Attack (Hal Turner)
■ US and UK Put Air Refueling Tankers up - Middle East . . . For Israel to Attack Iran (Hal Turner)
■ Jordan opened airspace for Israeli jets to counter Iran (The Cradle)
■ Iran warns Israel it knows where its nukes are hidden (RT.com)
■ IRGC warns of 'tit-for-tat' retaliation if Israel attacks Iran's nuclear facilities (PressTV)
■ Iran readies 1000 ballistic missiles, declaring, "We're crazier than you think" (albawaba.com)

The Turkish leader slammed Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide and said that the only way to ease tension in the region is to stop it 💬 [Erdoğan] stressed that it is necessary to identify the root of the problem in the region "rather than judge only by what happened on the night of April 13," when Iran conducted its operation against Israel. "No one spoke up after the attack on the Iranian embassy, but for several countries. But a race of accusing Iran’s retaliation started immediately. But first of all, it is necessary to blame [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu who killed 34,000 innocent people in Gaza. Netanyahu and his cannibalish administration are the ones who are responsible for what happened on April 13." [...] "Long before the current developments with mass killings, Turkey banned the sale of any materials that can be used for military purposes to Israel."

■ Cloud seeding in the United Arab Emirates
■ The UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science

مؤلم
شاهد الاسير سفيان ابو صلاح اعتقله الاحتلال واقفا على قدميه فخرج من السجن بقدم واحدة نتيجة التعذيب والاهمال الطبي بحق الاسرى الفلسطينيين pic.twitter.com/cgL2mL8SBe

— حسن اصليح | Hassan (@hassaneslayeh) April 15, 2024

Israeli authorities released dozens of Palestinians back to Gaza today, having arbitrarily arrested them at different points throughout the war. One of them, Sofian Abu Saleh, had his leg amputated by Israeli forces during custody. "My leg got infected [in custody], and [the Israelis] refused to take me to a hospital," he said. "After seven days, the infection spread quickly, like gangrene, they then took me to the hospital on did an operation." Abu Saleh says he never suffered of any diseases that could have led to this infection. "I went into [detention] with my two legs, and have returned like this," he said, alluding to this one remaining leg.

A regional war in the Middle East will be unavoidable if Israel continues strikes against Iran, former Iranian Ambassador to Germany Seyed Hossein Mousavian told Sputnik.

💬 "The current Iranian retaliation should be the end," former Iranian Ambassador to Germany Seyed Hossein Mousavian told Sputnik. "If Israel repeats attacking Iran and/or the US joins Israel; a regional war would be unavoidable."

■ Iran says concluded retaliatory strikes on occupied territories, warns against Israeli response (04/14/24)
■ Statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry in connection with the attack on Israeli territory

American ships and troops in the Middle East prepared for a likely Iranian attack on Israel on Friday, as US President Joe Biden urged Tehran to think twice. | Iranian leaders have vowed to “punish” Israel for the April 1 airstrike on the consulate in Damascus, Syria that killed seven officers of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, including two of its generals. [...] The Pentagon is moving additional troops and equipment to sites in the Middle East, to “bolster regional deterrence efforts and increase force protection,” an anonymous official said in a background briefing.

■ Russia trolls U.S and Israel with new Ballistic Missile test (The Times of India)
■ Turkey DENIES U.S. Permission To Use Airspace to Attack Iran (Hal Turner)
■ Qatar and Kuwait Forbid US From Using their Bases to Attack Iran (Hal Turner) (12 April 2024)
■ Iran readies '100+ cruise missiles' for possible retaliation against Israel (TRT World)
■ Iran Warns It Will Attack US Forces in Mideast If It Helps Defend Israel (Sputnik News)
■ US Moving More Assets to Mideast to Bolster Deterrence Ahead of Iran Retaliation (Sputnik News)
■ Iran: UN condemnation of Israeli airstrike could have 'obviated' retaliation (04/12/24)

Muslims in Iran and many other countries are celebrating Eid al-Fitr at the conclusion of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, after the new moon of the lunar month of Shawwal was sighted the previous night. | Naqareh drums were played at the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS), the eighth Shia Imam, in Iran's northeastern city of Mashhad on Wednesday morning, and Muslim worshippers who had fasted for a month took part in Eid prayers there and across the country early in the morning of the occasion of the festive event, which marks the end of Ramadan – the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. ● In the capital, Tehran, people gathered at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla (Congregational Prayers Site) to perform Eid al-Fitr prayers. Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei led the prayers.

■ Palestinians commemorate Eid al-Fitr amid oppression, genocide (Al Mayadeen)

Unveiling Yemeni Naval Operations in Support of Gaza since Oct.7 | In a series of decisive actions, the Yemeni Armed Forces have undertaken 19 naval operations, targeting 22 commercial vessels, along with US and British military ships, en route to the Zionist entity in the occupied Palestinian territories. These operations were specifically aimed at intercepting vessels heading towards the ports in the occupied Palestinian territories. ● Earlier in November 2023, responding to severe attacks initiated by the Zionist entity on the Gaza Strip, the Yemeni Armed Forces made a resolute announcement, declaring their intent to target any vessel en route to the Zionist entity. This proclamation underscores the Yemeni Armed Forces’ unwavering readiness to counter the aggression, emphasizing both their capability and determination to retaliate against Israeli brutality against civilians in the Strip. The video [...] documents Yemeni naval operations since the onset of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood until the present day.

13-years into a bloody civil war the US has financed, Syria remains fractured, controlled in parts by no less than seven factions. | The United States wants to create “another Kosovo” in Syria while cutting off the country’s resources from its adversaries in the region, investigative Syrian-American journalist Hekmat Aboukhater told Sputnik’s Political Misfits on Wednesday. ● Aboukhater was speaking about the fractured state of Syria and the US control in the northeast of the country, ”This area happens to be the place where we have our oil derricks, all of Syria’s natural resources are there, along with the wheat,” he explained, noting that Syria produces 350-400,000 barrels of oil a day. “These revenues are going [towards] sustaining this Kurdish enclave that’s supported by the US and funds the operation.”

Global condemnation of the apartheid “Israeli” entity’s attack on Iran's consulate in Syria surges as the UN Security Council has held an emergency meeting over the deadly strike. | The UNSC session was held at the request of Russia on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the deadly “Israeli” aggression on the Consular Section of the Iranian Embassy in the Mezzeh neighborhood in Damascus on April 1. “Israeli” warplanes bombed the diplomatic building, killing seven military advisors of the Islamic Revolution Guards [IRG]. Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a commander of the IRG’s Quds Force, and his deputy General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi were among the martyrs of the terrorist attack. Khaled Khiari, assistant secretary general for the Middle East at the UN, said in his address that the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel must be respected in all cases and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states must be respected under international law.

■ Israeli attack on humanitarian aid workers in Gaza draws ire from EU, Belgium (Yeni Şafak)
■ 'Horrified and heartbroken': Aid NGOs suspend ops after WCK massacre (Al Mayadeen)

Kit Klarenberg | Contrary to their mainstream portrayal, as inspired purely by religious fundamentalism, Daesh are primarily guns for hire. | Within just 24 hours of the horrific mass shooting in Moscow’s Crocus City Hall on March 22nd, which left at least 137 innocent people dead and 60 more critically wounded, US officials blamed the slaughter on ISIS-K, Daesh’s South-Central Asian branch. For many, the attribution’s celerity raised suspicions Washington was seeking to decisively shift Western public and Russian government focus away from the actual culprits - be that Ukraine, and/or Britain, Kyiv’s foremost proxy sponsor. ● Full details of how the four shooters were recruited, directed, armed, and financed, and who by, are yet to emerge. The savage interrogation methods to which they have been, and no doubt continue to be subjected are concerned with prising this and other vital information from them. The killers may end up making false confessions as a result. In any event, they likely have no clue who or what truly sponsored their monstrous actions.

The Israeli military admits to a new batch of injuries, 28 of whom fell in unspecified locations. | Israeli media outlets have circulated footage of several military helicopters transporting casualties from the Gaza Strip to hospitals in occupied Palestine, in what has been described as an "unusual" incident on Friday morning. ● Concurrently, Israeli military reports have revealed that 62 Israeli occupation troops have been wounded in a period ranging from March 21 to March 28, pushing the total number of injuries among occupation forces to 3,160. ● In the last updated form of Israeli troops killed since October 7, 2023, Israeli occupation forces (IOF) admitted to 597 deaths among its members. The total number of casualties (deaths and injuries) admitted by Israeli authorities has reached 3,757.

■ Al-Qassam brigades ambush Israeli troop carrier in Khan Yunis (Albawaba.com)
■ Iraqi Resistance group attacks Haifa Airport (Mehr News)

Israeli newspaper Maariv claimed Turkish diplomat stated Erdogan had criticized Israel to satisfy the Turkish public ahead of Sunday's local elections | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to improve diplomatic relations with Israel, despite his harsh public rhetoric condemning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his war on Gaza, the Hebrew-language newspaper Maariv reported on 2 April. ● Last week, Erdogan said that "Netanyahu and his administration, with their crimes against humanity in Gaza, are writing their names next to Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin, like today's Nazis." Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz summoned the deputy ambassador for Turkiye in Israel in response to the remarks.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raeisi says Israel has resorted to indiscriminate assassinations after back-to-back failures in the face of the resistance, warning that the regime’s latest crime against Iranian military advisers in Syria “will not go unanswered.” | Raeisi made the remarks in a statement released on Tuesday, a day after Israeli airstrikes destroyed Iran's consulate building in Damascus and killed seven military advisors of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). He condemned Israel’s “inhumane invasion” as a “flagrant violation of international regulations” and extended condolences to the Iranian nation over the martyrdom of the IRGC advisors. The usurping Zionist regime, he added, has committed another “terrorist crime” and stained its “dirty hands” with the blood of several Iranian generals and officers.

■ UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting on Israeli strike on Iran’s Syria consulate (PressTV)
■ Iran’s FM: US Should be Answerable To ‘Israeli” Attack (Alahed News)
■ Israeli airstrike on Damascus destroys Iranian consulate building — TV (04/01/24)

According to the broadcaster’s sources, Iranian Ambassador to Syria Hossein Akbari and his family members weren’t hurt in the attack | An Israeli airstrike has destroyed Iran’s consulate building in the Syrian capital of Damascus, Iran’s Al-Alam TV channel reported. ● According to the broadcaster’s sources, Iranian Ambassador to Syria Hossein Akbari and his family members weren’t hurt in the attack. ● The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported earlier that Israel had carried out an airstrike on a building in Damascus. According to Iran’s SNN TV channel, the attack targeted Iran’s consulate building and the ambassador’s residence. The Tasnim news agency, in turn, said that the airstrike had killed six people.

■ An Israeli act of aggression targets the Iranian consulate building in Mezzeh neighborhood, Damascus (SANA)
■ Israel targets Iranian consulate in Damascus in a terrorist attack (PressTV)
■ Several killed in Israeli strike on Iranian consulate in Damascus: Reports (Al Jazeera)
■ Senior IRGC chief killed in Israeli strike on Iranian consulate, Syria (Al Mayadeen)
■ Zionist regime hits Consular Section of Iranian Embassy in Syria (IRNA)
■ Iranian FM: Netanyahu Losing Mental Balance Due to Failure in Gaza (Fars News)
■ Zionist Entity Assassinates Iranian General In Syria (Moon of Alabama)

Preliminary data shows that the CHP is ahead of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the local elections for the first time in 20 years. | The opposition's mayor of Ankara, Mansur Yavas of the Republican People's Party (CHP), has so far received over 60% of the votes in the ongoing local elections, as confirmed by Turkish news media on Monday. ● Preliminary data shows that the CHP is ahead of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the local elections for the first time in 20 years. ● As of Monday morning, 99.81% of the polling stations' votes have been processed, the Hurriyet newspaper reported, as state-run news agency Anadolu reported that Yavas received 60.35% of the votes, and his AKP opponent, Turgut Altinok, garnered 31.69%. ● This shows that the opposition mayors of Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir maintained their posts.

■ ‘Turning point’ for Turkey after worst election defeat for Erdoğan in 20 years (iNews)
■ 5 things to know about Turkey’s momentous election (Turkish Minute)
■ Türkiye’s Erdoğan concedes ruling party’s electoral loss (RT.com)

Thousands of people came together in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to say goodbye to a Ukrainian woman who recently converted to Islam. Tragically, Daria Kutsaryenko, 29, died in Dubai the day after she converted to Islam and observed her first Ramadan fast. | Kutsaryenko had been studying Islam for some time before to coming to Dubai in pursuit of work. At a nearby mosque in the emirate, she publicly accepted Islam as her religion, demonstrating her dedication to it. Her tragic death, however, abruptly ended her newfound journey, leaving a society profoundly touched by her tale. ● Following the Friday congregational prayers, mourners gathered at the Martyrs Mosque in Dubai for Kutsaryenko's funeral procession, which attracted sizable crowds. ● Her sudden passing and the events surrounding her conversion have spurred discussions about tolerance, faith, and the process of learning Islam. An increasing number of people are embracing Islam in the UAE, which is renowned for its openness and variety. In 2021 alone, there were over 3800 new Muslims registered.

A senior Biden administration official acknowledged the talks but declined to address specifics, saying instead, “we are working with partners on various scenarios for interim governance and security structures in Gaza. | The Pentagon is in initial discussions about the deployment of a peacekeeping force in Gaza where Israel's ongoing war has wrought mass destruction, death and displacement, and shows no signs of ending anytime soon. The Defence Department's planning does not currently include plans for any US troops to be deployed to Gaza. Instead, it is looking at the prospects for a multinational or Palestinian peacekeeping mission, the Politico news website reported on Thursday, citing four anonymous officials, including two from the Pentagon.

Hezbollah has carried out multiple operations against Israeli military positions in the northern part of the 1948-occupied territories in retaliation for Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon villages. | Hezbollah fighters attacked Israel's Jal al-Alam military base and a gathering of troops nearby on Friday with surface-to-surface Falaq (Dusk) missiles, Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television said, citing a brief Hezbollah statement. ● The resistance fighters also struck the Metula settlement with various weapons and targeted an Israeli military vehicle station in a drone attack. The designated targets were precisely hit and destroyed in the aerial assault, the report said. ● Hezbollah further targeted the al-Samaqa site in the Kfarchouba Hills with a barrage of rockets. Moreover, they shelled an Israeli infantry unit in the Hadab Yaroun site with a salvo of artillery rounds, inflicting injuries among troops stationed there. ● A number of Israeli military vehicles were hit and damaged at the al-Malikiyah site as well.

Israeli attacks in Syria have escalated amid its continued assault on Gaza | A series of Israeli air strikes on Syria’s northern province of Aleppo have killed at least 42 people, according to UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The attack hit a weapons depot near Aleppo airport, resulting in a series of large explosions and the reported death of six members of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. The Syrian defence ministry said earlier on Friday that civilians and military personnel were killed in what have been described as the most violent Israeli strikes on Syria in three years. The air strikes targeted several areas in Aleppo’s countryside at about 1.45am local time on Friday (10.45pm Thursday GMT), the Syrian defence ministry said.

■ NATO’s Israel and Al Qaeda Bomb of Aleppo Murdering Syrians (Syria News)
■ Martyrdom and injury of a number of civilians and military personnel in an Israeli airstrike on Aleppo province

Hezbollah says it strongly condemns the heinous crime and vows that this aggression shall not go unanswered. | Al Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon reported early Wednesday that seven paramedics had been killed so far in the Israeli airstrike that targeted the Islamic Medical Association center in the town of Hebbariyeh confirming ongoing search and rescue operations. ● The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah said it strongly condemns the heinous crime, vowing that this aggression shall not go unanswered. ● Commenting on the latest Israeli aggression on Hebbariyeh Lebanese MP Hassan Mrad said it is "a new massacre added to the record of Israeli crimes."

■ Israeli strike on medical center kills seven first-aid volunteers in south Lebanon: What we know (L'Orient-Le Jour)