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Tensions rise amid expectations of Iran retaliation against Israel

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Iran has promised a response after its consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus was destroyed in a suspected Israeli missile attack (Aljazeera)

Iran’s mission to the United Nations has suggested that any Iranian military response to a deadly Israeli air raid on the Iranian consulate in Damascus  could have been averted if the UN Security Council had denounced Israel’s attack.

The Iranian statement on Thursday comes amid a growing number of media reports that an Iranian attack on Israel or Israeli interests is imminent.

“Had the UN Security Council condemned the Zionist regime’s reprehensible act of aggression on our diplomatic premises in Damascus and subsequently brought to justice its perpetrators, the imperative for Iran to punish this rogue regime might have been obviated,” the Iranian mission said in a social media post.

Iran has promised to carry out a “decisive” response to the Israeli attack that killed seven members of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including two generals, in Damascus on April 1.

The Israeli assault and anticipated Iranian retaliation have raised fears of an all-out regional war in the Middle East amid the raging conflict in Gaza, intensifying tensions and a chorus of calls for de-escalation

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held phone calls with his Qatari, Saudi, Emirati, Iraqi and German counterparts.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock cautioned against further tensions during her talks with Amir-Abdollahian, Berlin said.

“Avoiding further regional escalation must be in everyone’s interest. We urge all actors in the region to act responsibly and exercise maximum restraint,” the German Federal Foreign Office said in a post on X.

German airline Lufthansa extended its suspension on flights to Tehran on Thursday, the Reuters news agency cited a company spokesperson as saying.

Russia also warned its citizens against travelling to the Middle East, especially Israel, the Palestinian territory and Lebanon.

The United States, which has forces stationed across the region, had warned Iran against attacking Israel, pledging support for its ally.  “Our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad; let me say it again: ironclad,” US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday. “We’re going to do all we can to protect Israel’s security.”

A US official, who spoke to Al Jazeera Arabic on condition of anonymity, said Biden’s statement is not merely rhetorical, and the US would help intercept Iranian rockets or drones against Israel.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke via phone to Israeli Defence Minister Yogy Gallant on Wednesday.

“Secretary Blinken reiterated the United States’ support for Israel’s security and made clear that the US will stand with Israel against any threats by Iran and its proxies,” the US Department of State said in a statement.

Blinken also spoke to his Turkish, Chinese and Saudi counterparts, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

“We have been engaged in a series of contacts not just at his [Blinken’s] level – but other levels, too – to talk to foreign counterparts to send this really clear message to Iran that they should not escalate this conflict,” Miller said.

The New York Times reported, citing anonymous Pentagon sources that Michael E Kurilla, the top US general in the Middle East, was visiting Israel on Thursday to discuss the possible Iranian attack.

Later on Thursday, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated that the US is committed to Israel’s security without providing details on how Washington would respond to an Iranian strike. “I want to be really careful. I am not going to get into operational procedures from here,” she told reporters.

Iran hawks in the US Congress have been calling for a strong response by Washington to any Iranian military move against Israel.

“Israel is under threat of imminent attack by Iran,” Republican Senator Tom Cotton wrote in a social media post. “President Biden needs to warn the ayatollahs immediately that the United States will back Israel to the hilt and the joint American-Israeli retaliation for any attack will be swift and devastating.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to issue a threat to Iran and other adversaries, saying that the country is prepared for “challenges in other arenas” beyond the war on Gaza.  “We have determined a simple rule: 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 during a visit to an airbase in central Israel, according to his office.

The Israeli military has been attacking Iran-linked targets in Syria for years as Tehran deepened its military presence in the war-torn country.

But the attack on the Iranian diplomatic facility in Damascus earlier this month was seen as especially brazen. It garnered condemnations from across the Middle East and the rest of the world.

“The consulate and embassy offices in any country are considered to be the territory of that country. When they attack our consulate, it means they have attacked our territory,” Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying by Mehr news agency.

“The Zionist regime made a mistake and must be punished and will be punished.”

(Aljazeera)



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India’s Sri Lanka Test tour set to begin in Galle on August 15

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India will play Tests in Sri Lanka for the first time since 2017. [Cricbuzz]
India are likely to begin their Test series in Sri Lanka in Galle later this year. Shubman Gill’s side is slated to play two Tests, with the Galle International Stadium in southern Sri Lanka, expected to host the opener from August 15 to 19. The two Tests will be part of the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
The venue for the second Test has not yet been confirmed, but it is most likely to be given to the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground in central Colombo. That match is scheduled to start on August 23. The two-Test series will mark India’s first Test tour of Sri Lanka in nine years, since 2017, when India, under Virat Kohli, had whitewashed the islanders.
While neither Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) nor the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced the itinerary, Cricbuzz understands that the start dates of the two Tests are broadly accurate, with Galle set to host the series opener. Cricbuzz had reported on May 18 that the first Test was likely to be played between August 15 and 19.
In addition to the two Tests, India could also play three T20Is, a possibility Cricbuzz has reported on previously and one that BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia recently alluded to. “There is a request for three matches and we will finalise the schedule soon,” Saikia told the media.

With the Lanka Premier League (LPL) scheduled to conclude on August 9, fitting in the T20Is after the Test series appears more feasible than staging them beforehand. SLC is understood to be working through the finer details of the tour, including the potential addition of the three-match T20I leg.
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US strikes Iran in response to downing of military helicopter

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An Apache helicopter was downed in the incident over the Gulf (file photo) [Aljazeera]

The US says it has carried out a series of strikes on Iranian military and surveillance sites in response to the downing of an American helicopter in the Gulf.

Air defence systems, ground control stations and radar sites were targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, the US military Central Command (Centcom) said.

In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched strikes on 21 targets at US bases in the region, one in Bahrain and the other in Jordan, while Kuwait’s army said it was also intercepting an attack.

The US has described its strikes as “a proportional response” for the Apache helicopter downing on Monday, while the IRGC described the attacks as “vicious”.

US President Donald Trump had earlier accused Iran of shooting down the helicopter and said the US “must, of necessity” respond. The two crew members survived and were rescued by an American sea drone.

According to US officials, Iran used a drone to launch the attack on the helicopter. But it is not clear whether the Iranian drone had deliberately attacked, an unnamed US official told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner. The semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that Iran had not claimed responsibility for the downed aircraft.

Trump said the helicopter had been patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping channel that was effectively closed days after the US and Israel launched its first strikes on Iran in late February.

On Wednesday, the IRGC said US strikes had damaged a telecommunications tower and two water tanks, and added the US had targeted the cities of Jask and Sirik, and Qeshm – an island in the Gulf.

US officials are yet to comment on reports of attacks on its bases and it is unclear if there has been any damage. Jordan’s military said it had shot down five missiles fired from Iran.

Earlier, an air raid alert was issued in Bahrain, according to local authorities who said Iranian attacks had been repelled.

Map of the Strait of Hormuz and nearby coastline showing parts of southern Iran, the UAE and Oman. Three locations in Iran - Qeshm island, Sirik and Jask -are highlighted in red as Iran said they were targeted by US strikes. Nearby cities including Bandar Abbas in Iran, Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE and Muscat in Oman are marked for context, along with labels for the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.

Iran’s foreign minister issued a threat to the US in the aftermath of the renewed US attacks, saying the country “will leave no attack or threat unanswered”.

“Despite its defeats on the battlefield, the US opted to test our determination,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X.

He added: “Leave our region if you want to be safe.”

In Washington, US House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was in the room with Trump when he decided that US attacks on Iran should resume.

“We lament that it became necessary,” said the top Republican in Congress, adding that “we’re going to have to take care of this business”.

Araghchi said on Tuesday that foreign forces near Iran’s territory were at “constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents or potentially being caught in crossfire”.

“To reduce risk, best solution is for them [foreign forces] to leave,” the Iranian leader said in a post on X.

Minutes before Trump’s comments on the downed American Apache helicopter on Tuesday, Iran’s top negotiator in peace talks with Washington, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, took to social media to signal retaliation.

“We prefer the language of diplomacy, but we speak other languages far more fluently. Break your commitments, and we’ll switch to what we speak best.”

“You ride the horse you saddled!,” he wrote.

It remains to be seen what impact the exchange of fire will have on the negotiations between the US and Iran.

But Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqai told reporters on Wednesday that the US was “damaging this diplomatic process through the contradictory messages it sends, its repeated shifts in positions and demands, and, worst of all, through repeated violations of the ceasefire”.

He said Iran needed to re-assess the situation, adding that any diplomatic process required a minimum of stability.

The flare-up between the US and Iran comes after Israeli forces carried out strikes across southern Lebanon on Tuesday.

Tehran had warned that Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon would trigger another wave of retaliatory strikes.

Israel and Iran halted attacks on each other after exchanging fire over the weekend for the first time since April’s truce.

Trump publicly told both countries to “immediately stop ‘shooting'” because they were jeopardising negotiations between Washington and Tehran on a deal to end the regional war.

He said on social media platform Truth Social that Israel and Iran are looking to do “an immediate ceasefire” but peace is “subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way”.

On Tuesday he also told journalists: “We’re in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal,” adding that it could take “two or three days” and the Strait of Hormuz would open immediately after.

[Aljazeera]

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Rana and Mosaddek star as Bangladesh end 21-year wait with crushing win

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Nahid Rana caused plenty of problems with his pace [Cricinfo]

Nahid Rana and Mosaddek Hossain combined brilliantly to secure Bangladesh a huge win against Australia in the first ODI in Dhaka. The 86-run victory, which eventually came via DLS due to a thunderstorm, was only the second time that Bangladesh have defeated Australia in this format; their previous win was in June 2005, known as the Cardiff Miracle. However, this win 21 years later was far from an upset as Bangladesh continued their impressive home form by completely dominating proceedings.

Mosaddek celebrated his return to the team after four years with an all-round showing that included an unbeaten career-best 86 and two wickets. Rana, who had taken three five-wicket hauls in the last three months, claimed 4 for 41 in a fiery performance where he was clocked at over 150kph.

Australia had a forgettable day at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. They dropped four catches and looked unlike themselves in the field. Then they couldn’t withstand Rana’s speed on a pitch that produced mostly even bounce and a bit of pace. Cameron Green ended unbeaten with 52 but the game had long since gone.

Taskin Ahmed’s peach of a delivery that moved slightly off the wicket castled Matt Short off the first ball of the Australia chase. Short became only the fifth opener to get out first ball in an ODI innings against Bangladesh, and the first in 17 years. It meant Australia had registered three consecutive scoreless opening stands.

Mustafizur Rahman trapped the struggling Marnus Labuschagne lbw with the second ball of the next over. Left-armer Mustafizur pitched it up to Labuschagne who played around the delivery. There was initial doubt about the review before captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz gave the signal and it was the right call.

Rana then bowled a perfect length to Australia captain Josh Inglis who edged to wicketkeeper Litton Das. Rana, who usually doesn’t react to his wickets too loudly, really went into a celebratory run, appearing to say something Inglis. He reacted to Rana’s outburst, before Mehidy escorted away his Australian counterpart. In the rest of the over, Rana bowled deliveries in excess of 146kph.

Mosaddek’s fine day continued when he removed Cooper Connolly in the 20th over with a delivery from around the wicket which slid into leg stump. Connolly, opening for just the second time in his ODI career, made 35 off 50 balls. Alex Carey was the next to go, nicking Rana to the keeper for 47 when he looked beaten for pace. In the 29th over, Rana bowled one delivery that reached 150kph.

Rana also removed debutant Liam Scott and Xavier Bartlett in the space of two overs. Scott fended a rising delivery to Tawhid Hridoy, who took a diving catch in front of him at gully, and Bartlett avoided getting hit when he gave a simple catch to Tanzid at square-leg off a 148kph delivery.

Meanwhile, Mosaddek had added his second when he trapped Matt Renshaw lbw for 2 with one which turned sharply to hit the back leg. Mosaddek capped off his brilliant day with a terrific catch running back from mid-off when Nathan Ellis top-edged Mustafizur.

After Bangladesh were sent in to bat, Mosaddek led the way in the latter part of the innings as he struck seven fours and three sixes in his unbeaten 86 off 70 balls. Mosaddek added 75 for the fifth wicket with Hridoy who contributed a sedate 31. The partnership revived the Bangladesh innings after they had slipped to 140 for 4.

Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto had laid the platform with a 96-run stand for the second wicket after Bangladesh lost Saif Hassan in the second over. The left-handed duo kept the home side in the driver’s seat with regular boundaries throughout their stay. Shanto was initially the more aggressive of the pair, regularly coming down the track against the Australia seamers.

Tanzid played mostly from his crease, as he crashed the ball down the ground whenever it was pitched up. However, they were unable to push on, falling shortly after reaching their first milestones. Tanzid holed out to Bartlett at mid-on followed by Shanto chipping to long-off nine overs later. In between, Renshaw had taken a superb caught-and-bowled to remove Litton for 7.

Mosaddek and Hridoy batted positively while rotating the strike during their fifth-wicket stand, continuing their impressive form from the DPL. Mosaddek’s first boundary was a straight six off Adam Zampa although he was lucky, too, surviving dropped catches on 21, 38 and 73.

In between, he struck the ball hard down the ground. When he lost Hridoy and Mehidy in quick succession, Mosaddek didn’t panic, adding 65 with the lower order. Taskin supported him with a six and two fours while Mosaddek raced between the wickets whenever there was an opportunity to take a second run.

Brief scores:
Bangladesh 284 for 8 in 50 overs  (Tanzid Hasan 54, Najmul Hosain Shanto 67, Mosaddek Hossain 86*; Nathan Ellis 3-38, Liam Scott 2-57, Matt Renshaw 2-35) beat Australia 191 for 9 in 42.2 overs (Alex  Carey 47, Cameron Green 52*; Mustafizur Rahman 2-24,  Nahid Rana 4-41, Mosaddek Hossain 2-37) by 86 runs (DLS method)

[Cricinfo]

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