World Leaders Quick To Condemn Hamas Attacks On Israel

Josep Borrell, the European Union's Foreign Policy Chief, announced in a statement on Friday that he has received a letter from the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom informing him about an issue concerning the implementation of Iran’s commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“The Foreign Ministers stated that Iran has been in non-compliance since 2019 and considered that this has not been resolved through the JCPoA’s Dispute Resolution Mechanism (DRM). They expressed their intention not to take the steps regarding the lifting of further sanctions on JCPoA Transition Day on 18 October 2023,” reads the statement.

Borrell's reference is to one of the sunset clauses of the JCPOA, according to which on October 18, the sanctions imposed by the European Union against Iran, which included missile and arms sanctions, were supposed to be lifted.

Based on Annexes of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, the European Union had agreed to lift the sanctions on Iran in the eighth year of the JCPOA's implementation.

One year after former US President Donald Trump decided to unilaterally withdraw from the JCPOA and impose sanctions on Tehran, Iran gradually stepped away from its commitments within the framework of the JCPOA by increasing the level of uranium enrichment.

Negotiations to revive the JCPOA, aimed at bringing Iran to its commitments within the agreement, came to a halt last year without results. After the failure of the talks, the United States accused Iran indirectly of non-JCPOA-related demands.

In a report published on Thursday discussing the global cybersecurity landscape, Microsoft researchers have concluded that state-backed cyber operations are growing in sophistication and aggressiveness, often combining efforts to breach computer systems with information campaigns to disseminate propaganda and towards espionage.

Over the past year, Iranian cyber operators have intensified their activities, showcasing improved offensive cyber capabilities. They have combined basic operations with complex influence campaigns designed to have geopolitical impacts. Microsoft's researchers believe that Tehran views such tools as a means to counter perceived efforts to incite unrest within Iran.

Sherrod DeGrippo, Microsoft's Director of Threat Intelligence Strategy, noted that Iranian cyber operations have become more deliberate and focused, particularly in their targeting.

“They’re getting better at leveraging vulnerabilities, they’re getting better at focused, real cyber operations, so we see them evolving,” she added.

Microsoft's comprehensive 131-page report, its fourth annual Digital Defense Report, examined broad themes within cyber operations and cybercrime landscapes and how these trends affect governments and private organizations worldwide.

In mid-April, Microsoft also reported a change in the strategy of the Iranian hacking group known as "Charming Kitten" through the release of a special report. The report also raised concerns about the potential for destructive cyberattacks by cyber groups affiliated with the Islamic Republic.

News reports said the attack presents the largest clash since 2021 when Israel and Hamas fought a ten-day battle. Israeli media reports and videos show bands of armed Hamas fighters engaging in gunbattles with Israeli forces on the streets in towns in Southern Israel.

By mid-afternoon local time, Israeli media said that at least 100 Israelis have died and more than 900 injured and scores taken hostage by the militants.

Hamas military commander Mohammad Deif announced the start of the operation in a broadcast on Hamas media, calling on Palestinians everywhere to fight.

"This is the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on earth," he said, adding that 5,000 rockets had been launched. Israeli media reported gunbattles between bands of Palestinian fighters and security forces in towns in southern Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel “is at war” and vowed to exact an “unprecedented price” from the terror group.

“Citizens of Israel, we are at war. Not an operation, not a round [of fighting,] at war! This morning Hamas initiated a murderous surprise attack against the state of Israel and its citizens,” Netanyahu said in his filmed statement in Hebrew.

Adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, Rahim Safavi, commended the operation dubbed Operation Al Aqsa Storm , saying , "We support the commendable operation of Al-Aqsa Storm... We will stand alongside the Palestinian freedom fighters until the liberation of Palestine and Al-Quds."

Tasnim news agency in Iran, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, splashed a headline claiming Israeli soldiers and police were taken prisoner by Palestinians.

Palestinian media also reported that a number of Israelis had been taken captive by fighters and Hamas media circulated video footage apparently showing a destroyed Israeli tank. The Israeli military was aware of reports of captives, a security source said, but provided no further details. It said its forces were operating inside Gaza but gave no details.

Iran International reported in early September that some Israeli security experts believed a full-fledged conflict was possible within weeks. In the meantime, there have reports in recent months of the Lebanese Hezbollah massing forces near the Israeli border and threatening to join any Israeli military confrontation with Palestinians. The Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant threatened in August that if the Iran-backed group engages in conflict, Israeli will bomb Lebanon back “to the stone age.”

Hezbollah issued a statement saying they were closely following the situation in Gaza and are in "direct contact with the leadership of the Palestinian resistance". The statement added that it was a "decisive response to Israel's continued occupation and a message to those seeking normalization with Israel."

The Islamic Republic of Iran, which for decades has called for the destruction of Israel, intensified its rhetoric earlier this year, with officials repeatedly calling on Palestinians and other “resistance forces” to increase their attacks within Israel proper. Iranian officials began openly taking credit for support they provide to militant groups, such as the Lebanese Hezbollah that act as Tehran’s proxies in the region.

In August, after Israeli attacks on the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, the Revolutionary Guard issued a statement calling for the liberation of al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the removal of “the cancerous tumor, Israel” from the world map.

The Palestinian attack comes as talks are taking place to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Iran has strongly condemned any move by Arab countries to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, which can further isolate the Iranian regime in the region.

On October 3, Iran’s ruler Ali Khamenei repeated his fierce opposition, saying countries that seek to normalize relations with Israel are taking a big risk. "The position of the Islamic Republic is that countries that make the gamble of normalization with Israel will lose. They are betting on a losing horse.”

Jason Brodksy, policy director of United Against A Nuclear Iran, highlighted the meetings last month between Hamas, PIJ and the PFLP factions, in Tehran, attended by the groups' leaders, which he says "provide some clues as to [the] organization of this assault on Israel today."

Many Iranian on social media began expressing solidarity with Israel. Well-Known dissident Masih Alinejad spoke out in support of the nation, condemning the attacks and putting the blame firmly in the hands of the Iranian regime.
In a long statement on X, she wrote, "We Iranians know very well who is behind this assault. Just a few weeks ago, the Hamas leadership visited Ali Khamenei the supreme leader of Islamic Republic in Tehran where Khamenei made direct threats of destruction against Israel, stating that 'Israel is dying'."
She called once more on Western nations to designate the IRGC which orchestrates Iran's regionally destabilizing activity, including its proxies which surround Israel in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine.

Last updated at 15:00 GMT

At least 116 people were killed and about 100 injured Thursday when several weaponized drones hit the Homs Military Academy's courtyard where families were gathered with the new officers, minutes after Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas had left. More than 30 women and children were killed in the attack.

There have been no claims of responsibility for the attack, but Syria's defense and foreign ministries blamed what they described as “terrorist groups backed by known international forces” without specifying further, and vowed to respond "with full force".

Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri, the military commander serving at the country’s most senior military position, wrote to his Syrian counterpart Abdul Karim Mahmoud Ibrahim and Syria’s Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas to express readiness for closer cooperation with Damascus “in the fight against terrorism.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also held a phone call with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad on Thursday, while President Ebrahim Raisi condemned the attack.

Sunni Islamist groups Tahrir al-Sham and ISIS as well as Islamist militias with close links to Turkey have bases in the region that is announced as the origin of the drone, pundit Ali Sadrzadeh told Iran International.

The United States on Thursday shot down an armed Turkish drone that was operating near its troops in Syria, the Pentagon said, the first time Washington has brought down an aircraft of NATO ally Turkey. Tensions have flared and there have been close calls. In 2019, US troops in northern Syria came under artillery fire from Turkish positions.

A Turkish defense ministry official said the drone that was shot down did not belong to the Turkish armed forces but did not say whose property it was. According to Turkish security source, Turkey's National Intelligence Agency carried out strikes in Syria against Kurdish militant targets after a bomb attack in Ankara last weekend.

In a statement released on Thursday, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs expressed concerns, stating, "Due to the significant technological overlap between space launches and ballistic missile launches, this event directly contributes to Iran's worrisome progress in its ballistic missile program."

Iran announced the successful launch of the satellite, utilizing the Qased Space Launch Vehicle, on September 27th. This launch incorporated technology crucial for the development of a long-range ballistic missile system, coming at a time of escalating tensions between Iran and Western nations.

Paris asserts that this launch follows a series of breaches and repeated violations of Resolution 2231, against the backdrop of nuclear escalation over several years, as reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The statement also emphasized "the international community's continued concern regarding Iran's ballistic program."

France called upon Iran to cease its destabilizing ballistic activities and reiterated its commitment to collaborating with allies to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Last week, the UK also criticized Iran for the satellite launch, stating, "Iran has taken this action despite repeated calls from the UN Security Council to halt its ballistic missile program. Iran's actions further demonstrate its disregard for international restrictions and underscore the grave threat posed by the regime to global security."

This controversy is not new, as the United States has accused Iran of repeatedly violating UN Security Council regulations through its satellite program.

Iran has a history of promptly announcing successful space launches through its state-run television channels while often remaining silent on failed attempts. Over the past decade, Iran has launched several short-lived satellites into orbit and even sent a monkey into space in 2013. However, there have been five consecutive unsuccessful launches in the Simorgh program, which involves satellite-carrying rockets.