Iran-Israel tension: US backs Israel’s ‘right to self-defence’, says Israeli media

Soon after US President Donald Trump announced withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, Israel has stepped up its anti-Iran aggression and hit several Iranian targets in Syria, resulting in deaths of 23 fighters. The confirmation about the deaths was given by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Other European powers like Germany and the UK also condemned Iran while France called for de-escalation, the report added.

This is the first time that Israel has directly accused Iran of firing at its territory.

Israel, however, has defended its action. According to its century old Haaretz media, the White House condemned Iran on Thursday, May 10, and threw its weight behind Israel's "right to self-defense" after a barrage of Iranian rockets targeted Israel's military outposts. Israel said Iran's attack was unsuccessful. The US also blamed Iran's Revolutionary Guard saying it would be responsible for the "consequences of its reckless actions".

"The Iranian regime's deployment into Syria of offensive rocket and missile systems aimed at Israel is an unacceptable and highly dangerous development for the entire Middle East," the Haaretz and Reuters report quoted the White House as saying.

It said the US also alerted the international community saying Iran's actions posed a grave threat to international peace and stability.

Syria, meanwhile, lashed out at Israel by calling its attack as an offensive against Syria. According to a statement from the Syrian foreign ministry, Israel's "direct involvement after years of acting secretly by supporting terrorist groups represents the beginning of a new stage of aggression", the Haaretz report said.

Five Syrian anti-aircraft batteries were also destroyed in the Israeli attacks, said the report.

On Thursday, Russia asked both Iran and Israel to desist from action that could snowball the conflict, the report added. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said President Vladimir Putin spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Moscow on Wednesday, it added.

The Russian foreign minister also took the opportunity to criticise the US saying its withdrawal from the Iran deal was a violation of a United Nations resolution and that it should not have any extra-territorial influence on Iran's partners, Haaretz reported.

Both Russia and Iran have backed the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.