Israel-Hamas: Germany urges 'restraint' amid Iran tensions

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said a new border crossing would be opened between Israel and Gaza's north, where the threat of famine is especially acute.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel was "prepared" to defend security on all fronts, as tensions rise in the region with Iran promising retaliation for an attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

Iran has blamed an Israeli airstrike for the attack that killed senior Iranian commanders and demolished the Iranian diplomatic station .

Since the war in Gaza began more than six months ago, clashes have increased between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants based in Lebanon. Hamas, which rules Gaza and attacked Israel on October 7, is also backed by Iran.

"Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively," Netanyahu said in comments released by his office following a visit to the Tel Nof Air Force base. 

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said civilians do not have to make any special preparation but added Israel was "highly prepared for a range of scenarios." 

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock spoke with her Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian about the "tense situation" in the Middle East, the German Foreign Ministry wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Tensions have escalated in the region after Iran blamed Israel for an attack on an Iranian consulate in Syria earlier on April 1.

The US military believes Israel was behind the attack and has vowed backing for Israel in the face of Iranian threats, as Iran has vowed to retaliate. Israeli officials did not make any comment on the attack. Israel rarely acknowledges strikes on Iranian targets.

"Avoiding further regional escalation must be in everyone's interest. We urge all actors in the region to act responsibly and exercise maximum restraint," Germany's Foreign Ministry said.

"No one should be allowed to throw more fuel onto the fire. No one can have any interest in a conflagration with completely unforeseeable consequences," Baerbock said later during a meeting with Chilean Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren in Berlin.

"All the actors in the region are urged to act responsibly and to exercise restraint," Baerbock said, adding that this was the message
she had conveyed to Amirabdollahian.

German airline Lufthansa also said its flights to and from Tehran will remain suspended through Saturday "due to the current situation in the Middle East."

Lufthansa, which usually has five flights per week from Frankfurt to Tehran, initially suspended flights until Thursday. 

The Israeli airstrike that killed three sons of Hamas' Qatar-based leader Ismail Haniyeh will "only entrench hard-liners" within Hamas, former US ambassador Gerald Feierstein told DW.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday it had launched a "precise, intelligence-based operation" in central Gaza.

"An IDF fighter jet struck an armed terrorist exiting a tunnel shaft while our troops located a number of launchers in the area," the Israeli military said on social media.

"The Israeli Navy assisted the forces, conducting a number of targeted strikes along central Gaza’s coastline."

German news agency DPA and others have reported that at least five Palestinians died in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, citing emergency workers.

US Central Command chief Michael Kurilla arrived in Israel on Thursday, Israeli newspapers Hareetz and Times of Israel reported.

The visit comes after Iran threatened Israel over the death of several Iranian generals in a strike on an Iranian consular building in Damascus, Syria last week.

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Kurilla's trip to Israel was planned before the attack in Damascus.

Russia's Foreign Ministry has advised citizens against traveling to Israel and the Palestinian territories in the wake of Iran's threats against Israel.

"We strongly recommend that Russian citizens refrain from traveling to the region, especially to Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, except in cases of extreme necessity," the Foreign Ministry said. 

"The tense situation in the Middle East region persists," it added.

On Wednesday, German airline Lufthansa suspended services to Tehran due to the situation in the Middle East.

zc/wmr (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)