World's papers react to unprecedented Israeli strikes on Iran
Iranian state-owned Press TV, owned by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, confirms that commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, including senior General Hossein Salami and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Bagheri, have been "martyred". Press TV quoted the leader of the Islamic revolution in Iran who said that the "Zionist regime has prepared a bitter and painful fate for itself", adding that Iran's defence ministry is "fully ready" to punish Israel severely. Press TV is actively tweeting too, claiming that Iranian civilian neighbourhoods and residential buildings in Tehran have been targeted. The news channel also stated that in the Narmak neighbourhood of Tehran, five people were killed and 20 injured.
The Israeli press is also reacting. Left-wing daily Haaretz writes that Israel launched "pre-emptive strikes" and is preparing for retaliation from Iran. The paper says that although various reports said that the United States formally expressed its opposition to the attacks, it remains unclear whether the US offered to share intelligence or aerial refuelling capacity. The paper says this option would allow the White House to participate "while maintaining some sort of plausible deniability". The editor-in-chief of the right-wing Jerusalem Post quotes the IDF's Chief of Staff, who says the strikes were launched because they reached "a point of no return". "History taught us: when faced with threats to destroy us, we must never bow our heads." In an analysis piece, The Jerusalem Post writes that Israel struck because Iran's ambitions "are no longer hypothetical". The paper says that intelligence showed that Iran had enriched enough uranium to produce some 15 nuclear warheads and was actively conducting nuclear tests.
Finally, we turn to reactions from the international press. The New York Times writes that Israel's attack aims to "cripple" Iran's nuclear program. The paper also says that the major attack could escalate into a war involving the most powerful militaries in the Middle East. Al Jazeera calls it a "major strike". American broadcaster NBC News highlights the fact that the strikes were conducted without US involvement. French right-wing Le Figaro says that the Israeli strikes are a "bitter setback for Trump", who claims to be a "peacemaker". The paper writes that the US president asked Israel to choose diplomacy and not attack Iran, but only a few hours later, the strikes began. The Wall Street Journal reports that oil prices rose by more than 8 percent after Israel's attack, reaching their highest level since February. It adds that the rise shows that traders don't think the US will lift restrictions on Iranian barrels.
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