Washington [US], April 13: US President Joe Biden said on Friday that he expects an imminent Iranian attack on Israel, but warned Tehran: "Don't."
Responding to questions from reporters about the likelihood of such an attack, he said: "I don't want to get into secure information but my expectation is sooner than later."
He added: "We are devoted to the defense of Israel, we will support Israel, we will help defend Israel, and Iran will not succeed."
Iran has vowed retaliation after an airstrike on April 1 leveled an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus, killing seven members of the elite Revolutionary Guards including two generals. Iran has blamed its archenemy Israel for the strike.
One Palestinian killed, several injured amid West Bank settler violence
At least one person was killed and several injured after armed Israeli settlers attacked a village in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The person was shot dead in al-Mughayyir, a village 20 kilometers northeast of Ramallah. The Palestinian Red Cross said at least 10 more people were wounded and that ambulances trying to reach the area were also shot at.
Settlers reportedly attacked the village after a 14-year-old Israeli boy from the nearby settlement went missing, although the precise sequence of events is unclear.
The head of al-Mughayyir's local council, Ameen Abu Alia, described up to 400 armed settlers, backed by Israeli military forces, firing at residents, vandalizing the village and setting several houses and cars ablaze.
Israeli media reported that Israeli security forces initially entered al-Mughayyir to search for the missing boy, to which Palestinian residents responded by throwing stones and incendiary devices at the soldiers. Three soldiers reportedly suffered minor injuries, after which the settlers entered the village.
After the rampage, the IDF said it had cleared the village of settlers but was still searching for the boy. "As of this moment, the violent riots have been dispersed, and there are no Israeli civilians present within the town," the IDF said.
It remains unclear whether the dead man, identified by his family as 26-year-old Jehad Abu Alia, was shot by an armed settler or an Israeli soldier..
Hamas commander killed in occupied West Bank
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said its troops had killed a senior Hamas member in a raid in the occupied West Bank on Friday.
Mohammad Omar Daraghmeh, who the IDF described as the head of Hamas infrastructure in the Tubas region of the Jordan Valley, was killed during an exchange of fire with Israeli forces.
The IDF said a number of weapons and military-style equipment, including automatic rifles, were found in his vehicle. Hamas confirmed Daraghmeh's death and his membership of its armed Al Qassam Brigades.
Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, Germany, the United States and several other countries.
Source: Times of Oman
