A “very difficult evening” for Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised on Saturday night that Israel would “continue to strike” Iran “on all fronts” after Iranian missile strikes on two cities in the southern part of the country that left around a hundred people injured. The Israeli army confirmed “a direct missile hit” from Iran on a building in the city of Dimona, which houses a nuclear facility in the southern part of the country. This missile strike on Dimona was seen as a “response” to the earlier strike on the Iranian nuclear site at Natanz earlier in the day, as stated by Iranian state television. In the same evening, Iran also hit Arad, another city in southern Israel.
France is “ready to contribute” to the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz. About twenty countries have expressed their willingness to contribute to the efforts needed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively blocked by Iran since the beginning of the war, in a joint statement. Signatories include the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Lithuania, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, and Bahrain.
The Iranian threat in the Strait of Hormuz is “reduced”. The US military has stated that they have “reduced” Iran’s ability to threaten navigation in the Strait of Hormuz by bombing an underground facility housing cruise missiles. “We also targeted intelligence sites and missile radar relays that were monitoring ship movements,” stated Admiral Brad Cooper, head of the US military’s Central Command for the Middle East.
The Iranian nuclear site at Natanz targeted. The United States and Israel carried out strikes on the Iranian Natanz nuclear complex, located in central Iran, according to the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization. “Following the criminal attacks carried out by the United States and the usurping Zionist regime against our country, the Natanz enrichment complex was targeted this morning,” said the organization. The Israeli army stated they were “not aware” of such a strike, with the public Kan television reporting it was an American action.
The crisis in the Middle East in focus next Wednesday. According to Le Monde, a debate on the conflict in the Middle East will be held on Wednesday, March 25th, at the National Assembly. Several political parties, including La France insoumise, had requested this following the outbreak of war in Iran. During a meeting at Matignon on March 11, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu responded favorably.
In Europe, a call to reduce gas stocking goals. The European Commission has urged European states to reduce their gas stocking goals for next winter from 90% to 80% to alleviate the pressure on prices, which are soaring due to the war in the Middle East.
