Iran and Israel appear to be withdrawing from the conflict as the US approves military aid

TEHRAN: Iran and Israel appeared to be pulling back from the brink of a wider conflict as lawmakers in the United States approved new Israeli military aid on Saturday, despite growing criticism of their ally’s war in Gaza.

Iran downplayed Israel’s reported retaliation for its unprecedented drone and missile strike, allaying fears that escalating attacks between the arch-enemies could turn into a broader war in the Middle East.

However, a deadly explosion at an Iraqi military base underlined ongoing tensions in the region, as did deadlier Israeli attacks in Gaza and intensifying clashes in the West Bank.

Aiming to strengthen Israel’s defenses, including the Iron Dome air defense system, the US House of Representatives has approved $13 billion in new military aid to the country.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the aid bill, writing on X, formerly Twitter, that it “demonstrates strong bipartisan support for Israel and defense of Western civilization.”

But the Palestinian presidency condemned it as “an aggression against the Palestinian people” and a “dangerous escalation.”

The money would “translate into thousands of Palestinian victims in the Gaza Strip” and the West Bank, said Nabil Abu Rudeina, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas.

– Iran downplays attack on Israel –

After Iran launched more than 300 missiles and drones a week ago in Tehran’s first-ever direct attack on Israeli territory, Israel had warned it would strike back.

The attack on Iran was itself a retaliation for an airstrike – largely blamed on Israel – that leveled the Iranian consulate in Damascus and killed seven Revolutionary Guardsmen on April 1.

Israeli retaliation appeared to come on Friday, when Iranian media reported explosions in the central province of Isfahan.

Fars news agency reported “three explosions” in the area of ​​Qahjavarestan, near Isfahan airport and the 8th Shekari army airbase.

“What happened last night was not an attack,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told NBC News.

“It was the flight of two or three quadcopters, which are at the level of toys that our children use in Iran,” he added.

“Until there is a new adventure on behalf of the Israeli regime against Iran’s interests, we will have no answer.”

– No Israeli commentary –

Israeli officials have not commented publicly on what – according to a senior US congressional source who spoke to AFP – were Israeli retaliatory strikes against Iran.

While tensions increased following the attack on the Iranian consulate, violence involving Iranian-backed groups had already been increasing across the Middle East since the outbreak of the Gaza war.

Officials in Iraq said one person was killed and eight injured in an explosion at a military base south of Baghdad that housed pro-Iranian armed groups.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah group said three of its fighters were killed in an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon on Saturday.

The Hamas ally has exchanged cross-border fire with the Israeli army almost daily since the start of the Gaza war.

Violence has also flared up in the other occupied Palestinian territory, the West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said at least 14 people were killed during a 40-hour Israeli attack on a refugee camp in the northern West Bank.

The Israeli army said it killed 10 militants in the attack on the Nur Shams camp. The Palestinian Health Ministry said 11 people were injured, including a paramedic who was shot while trying to reach previous victims

– Nine members of one family murdered –

Israel has faced mounting global opposition over its military offensive in Gaza, which has left large parts of the besieged Palestinian territory in ruins.

Iranian political expert Hamid Gholamzadeh said Netanyahu – who is under pressure over the civilian toll – “needs further escalation and a new war to divert the world’s attention” from the suffering in Gaza.

There are particular concerns about Israel’s intention to send troops to the southernmost city of Rafah, where most of the population is now sheltering as they flee violence elsewhere.

Foreign ministers from the G7 group of advanced economies meeting in Italy on Friday said they opposed a “large-scale military operation in Rafah” because of its “catastrophic consequences” for civilians.

But even without a full operation, the city is regularly bombed.

On Saturday, the Gaza Civil Defense Organization said several areas of Rafah were hit overnight, including one Israeli attack that killed nine members of a family, including six children.

The war was sparked by a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures.

Israel has responded with a retaliatory offensive that has killed at least 34,049 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

– Fear of famine –

The Israeli army said it had struck dozens of militant targets in the past day, including the site in northern Gaza from which a rocket was fired into the Israeli town of Sderot.

Witnesses in the central Nuseirat refugee camp said the Israeli army ordered them to evacuate one house, after which several were destroyed.

‘They tell us to evacuate and return later, but where should we go? To the ruins?’ asked resident Abu Ibrahim.

A UN report said on Friday that “multiple obstacles” continued to hinder the delivery of urgently needed aid.

Despite some recent aid convoys reaching Gaza, the World Food Program cited “the real possibility of famine” in the north.

According to mediator Qatar, efforts to broker a long-sought ceasefire have come to a standstill.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a staunch critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, met with Qatar-based Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Saturday, calling for unity among Palestinians.

After Washington vetoed a Palestinian bid to become a full member of the UN earlier this week, President Mahmud Abbas said his West Bank-based Palestinian Authority would “reconsider” its relationship with the US.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it would summon the ambassadors of the 12 countries that voted in favor of the Palestinian bid for a protest meeting on Sunday.