An Israeli airstrike that demolished Iran’s consulate in Syria on Monday killed two Iranian generals and five officers, according to Iranian officials. The strike appeared to signify an escalation of Israel’s targeting of military officials from Iran, which supports militant groups fighting Israel in Gaza, and along its border with Lebanon.
And this:
Mexico’s government severed diplomatic ties with Ecuador after police broke into the Mexican Embassy to arrest a former Ecuadorian vice president, an extraordinary use of force that shocked and mystified regional leaders and diplomats.
Ecuadorian police late Friday broke through the external doors of the embassy in the capital, Quito, to arrest Jorge Glas, who had been residing there since December. Glas sought political asylum at the embassy after being indicted on corruption charges.
It has been international law for a very long time that embassies and consulates are considered to be foreign soil. If you go to the French consulate or embassy, as soon as you walk onto the property, you are legally in France. That is why József Cardinal Mindszenty was able to stay in the American embassy in Hungary for fifteen years and Julian Assange was able to take refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy for seven years, until he pissed off his hosts. (The irony of Assange hiding out in the Ecuadorian embassy and the Ecuadorians invading the Mexican embassy doesn't escape me.)
I believe the world would be a better place if the people of Iran were able to rise up and stand all of the ruling clerics up against a wall like the Romanians did to Nicolae Ceaușescu. But, having said that, Israel committed an act of war against Iran. I would be surprised if they didn't retaliate.
Iran formally declared war on the United States and Israel in 1979. They have been prosecuting war against both countries ever since. Any action taken by either country against Iran is justified and long overdue.
ReplyDeleteWe issued a travel advisory for Israel because of the danger of an Iranian attack, so we must be taking it seriously. As for the Iranians declaring war on us, gee, I wonder why they did that?
ReplyDelete-Doug in Sugar Pine
A carefully calibrated display by Iran. They got information about capabilities and tactics, they got a couple of hits, and they told the world they consider the matter closed. Israel would do well to, as has been rumored Biden told Benny, “take the win”.
ReplyDeleteThe mod of weapons, the advance warning, it all points to Iran flexing to show that it can reach Israel…and doing so with a small enough attacking force to allow it to,be nearly completely stopped. If anyone thinks for a second Iran couldn’t launch five or ten times those many weapons, they’re nuts. The Russian market means Iran has ramped up production bigly…and it isn’t all going to Russia.
The message is pretty clear, hit us and we can hit you…we don’t have the fancy planes, but we can send enough drones that you will run out of missiles, and we’re not afraid of launching them from anywhere. I would expect Israel to move to more direct attacks on targets with assassins and such as opposed to missile strikes.