BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 12. Israel’s Defense
Minister, Israel Katz, has issued an ultimatum to the Lebanese
government amid ongoing escalation in the Middle East, Trend reports, citing the
Times of Israel.


Katz warned that if the Lebanese authorities fail to prevent
attacks by Hezbollah, Israel will take control of the area and
address the threat itself.


“Yesterday, Hezbollah carried out heavy rocket fire toward the
State of Israel. In response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
launched powerful strikes against Hezbollah targets in Dahieh and
various locations across Lebanon.


I warned the Lebanese president that if the Lebanese government
cannot control its territory and prevent Hezbollah from threatening
northern communities and firing at Israel, we will take that
territory and do it ourselves,” Katz said during an assessment
meeting with IDF officers.


Since no concrete agreement was reached in negotiations between
the United States (US) and Iran over the nuclear program, the US
and Israel began military airstrikes against Iran on February 28.
In response, Iran launched missile and drone attacks on Israel and
US military facilities located in countries across the region,
starting the same day.


On the first day of the air strikes against Iran, Iran’s Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and several high-ranking
military officials were killed. On March 8, Iran’s Assembly of
Experts elected Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah
Seyyed Ali Khamenei, as Iran’s third Supreme Leader by majority
vote.







Between March 1 and March 5, the confrontation expanded further,
affecting several countries across the Middle East.


According to reports, the US side suffered losses of 8 dead and
more than 140 wounded.


As a result of the conflict, the region’s energy infrastructure
and maritime transportation have also come under serious risk. Due
to heightened security tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, global
oil prices have surged sharply, and several countries have urged
their citizens to leave the region.


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