The Middle East Crisis

The Middle East Crisis|The Reactions
Israel arrests UN chief after statement on Iran attack

Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz declares UN Secretary-General António Guterres persona non grata and bans him from entering the country, Reuters reports. The reason, according to the foreign minister, is that Guterres failed to "unequivocally condemn" Iran's robot attack against Israel.

- Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil. This is an anti-Israel secretary-general who gives his support to terrorists, rapists and murderers, Katz said, according to AFP.

Shortly after Iran launched its attack on Tuesday, Guterres said the escalation must stop and a ceasefire is needed. He condemned the "escalation after escalation" going on in the Middle East.

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The Middle East Crisis|Votes on
Analysis: The bigger war is here – there are many risks

Iran's robotic attack on Israel means the long-feared major war in the Middle East is here. That's what David E Sanger writes in an analysis in the New York Times. The question that remains now is how much the conflict will escalate and whether the US will become more directly involved in Israel's defense.

"This new phase contains many elements of risk," writes Sanger. Among other things, the risk that Iran, in frustration at having failed to break through Israeli and American defenses, starts an arms race with nuclear weapons.

Amos Harel writes in the Israeli Haaretz that Iran's attack will probably result in the US being drawn into the conflict, against its will. Israel is dependent on the United States, both for defending itself and for access to weapons that can propel the country's offensive operations forward.

"This is a regional and global crisis that could have far-reaching consequences for Israel's security, but also for the global economy and the US's position in the world," writes Harel in an analysis.

Frank Gardner writes in the BBC that Israel has long had plans on how to attack Iran.

"Its defense chiefs will now assess when and how hard to strike the Islamic Republic."

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The Middle East Crisis|Israel-Hezbollah
Israeli military in "melee" in southern Lebanon

Israel's military is involved in "melee" in southern Lebanon, according to a statement from the IDF, the BBC reports.

"The troops, in cooperation with the Israeli Air Force, have eliminated terrorists and destroyed terrorist infrastructure using precision-guided munitions and close combat operations," the statement said.

The statement comes after Israel launched "targeted operations" on the ground in Lebanon on Tuesday. The Iran-backed militia Hezbollah says it clashed with the Israeli military on two occasions on Wednesday.

The Lebanese military says that Israeli forces advanced about 400 meters into Lebanese territory and that they "withdrew a short time later".