Jeremy Bowen: Iran's attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifeline
It wasn't many days ago that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was under enormous pressure.
After seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen were killed by the Israeli army in Gaza on 1 April, US President Joe Biden seemed finally to lose patience with his troublesome ally.
On the same day, Israel attacked the Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus, killing a senior general, at least six other officers, and violating legal conventions that prohibit attacks on embassies.
Israel claimed, unconvincingly, that Iran had forfeited that protection by turning the consular building it destroyed into a military outpost. Iran promised it would retaliate, but previous attacks on senior commanders had generated more words than actions.
Outside Iran, the attack on Damascus was overshadowed by the fury caused by the killing of the team from World Central Kitchen, a US-based charity.
The White House issued a furious statement from President Biden. He was "outraged and heartbroken". It was not a standalone incident. Israel was not doing enough to protect aid workers or Palestinian civilians.
In an angry call with the prime minister, he demanded major concessions. Gaza should be flooded with humanitarian aid. Israel must open more border crossings, as well as the container port in Ashdod, less than an hour's drive away from children starving to death in northern Gaza.
source: BBC