Spare a moment, as you anticipate one of the most unusual summits in modern history, to consider North Korea's leader as he left the all-encompassing bubble of his locked-down stronghold of Pyongyang on Sunday and stepped off a jet onto Singapore soil for his planned sit-down with President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana or presidential palace on Sunday, June 10, 2018, in Singapore. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
There's just no recent precedent for the gamble Kim Jong Un is taking.
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Spare a moment, as you anticipate one of the most unusual summits in modern history, to consider North Korea's leader as he left the all-encompassing bubble of his locked-down stronghold of Pyongyang on Sunday and stepped off a jet onto Singapore soil for his planned sit-down with President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
There's just no recent precedent for the gamble Kim Jong Un is taking.
While Singapore has authoritarian leanings, it is still a thriving bastion of capitalism and wealth, and Kim will be performing his high-stakes diplomatic tight-rope walk in front of 3,000 international journalists, including a huge contingent from the ultra-aggressive South Korean press — sometimes referred to by Pyongyang as "reptile media" — two of whom were arrested by Singapore police investigating a report of trespassing at the residence of the North Korean ambassador.
While he famously attended school in Switzerland, traveling this far as supreme leader is an entirely different matter for someone used to being the most revered, most protected, most deferred to human in his country of 25 million. Kim is, essentially, upsetting two decades of carefully choreographed North Korean statecraft and stepping into the unknown.
Hundreds of North Korean security experts have no doubt been up nights wondering how to safeguard Kim Jong Un since Trump shocked the world by accepting the North's invitation to meet.
Kim may have shipped over the massive bulletproof and fireproof limousine that became a social media sensation when Kim was shown being driven across the border between the Koreas during his first summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, in April, with a dozen staunch bodyguards encircling the auto. He could be seen speeding through Singapore on Sunday in a black limousine adorned with large North Korean flags.
Singapore's The Straits Times reported earlier this month that the Singapore government declared that four black BMW sedans with armored bodies that can withstand gunshots, explosives and grenades were exempt from certain traffic rules through June 30. The newspaper said the vehicles weren't from a local authorized dealer, which suggests the cars were brought in specifically for the summit and may be used by Kim.
Kim's bodyguards traveled with him, providing trusted protection to back up local Singapore security who were controlling the perimeter and crowds,
As far as we know, his despot father only traveled out of the country by train, and rarely at that, because of fears of assassination. Kim, up until his recent high-profile summit with South Korea's president on the southern side of their shared border, has usually hunkered down behind his vast propaganda and security services, or made short trips to autocrat-friendly China.
In this April 27, 2018, file photo, North Korean security persons run by a car carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un return to the North side for a lunch break after a morning meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the border village of Panmunjom in Demilitarized Zone. (Korea Summit Press Pool via AP, File)
While Singapore has authoritarian leanings, it is still a thriving bastion of capitalism and wealth, and Kim will be performing his high-stakes diplomatic tight-rope walk in front of 3,000 international journalists, including a huge contingent from the ultra-aggressive South Korean press — sometimes referred to by Pyongyang as "reptile media" — two of whom were arrested by Singapore police investigating a report of trespassing at the residence of the North Korean ambassador.
A motorcade carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, drives down Singapore's Orchard Road on its way to the Istana, or the Presidential Palace, in Singapore on Sunday, June 10, 2018, to meet Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. (AP Photo/Joseph Nair)
While he famously attended school in Switzerland, traveling this far as supreme leader is an entirely different matter for someone used to being the most revered, most protected, most deferred to human in his country of 25 million. Kim is, essentially, upsetting two decades of carefully choreographed North Korean statecraft and stepping into the unknown.
There's wild speculation about how Kim will perform on the world stage, although one question was answered Sunday: His grim-faced, well-muscled bodyguards marched alongside his armored limousine at one point in Singapore, just as they did when he met the South Korean leader in April. But amid the curiosity is an even more fundamental question: Why is he taking this risk at all?
Here's a look:
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THE LOGISTICS
First the nuts and bolts: How do you protect what many North Koreans consider their single most precious resource, the third member of the Kim family to rule and a direct descendant of North Korea's worshipped founder Kim Il Sung?
A limousine, right, with a North Korean flag believed to be carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un travels past Singapore's Orchard Road on its way to the St Regis Hotel as he arrives in Singapore on Sunday, June 10, 2018. (AP Photo/Joseph Nair)
Hundreds of North Korean security experts have no doubt been up nights wondering how to safeguard Kim Jong Un since Trump shocked the world by accepting the North's invitation to meet.
Kim arrived Sunday on a Chinese plane, not his official plane, which is called "Chammae-1" and named after the goshawk, North Korea's national bird.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, is surrounded by his security guards upon his arrival for a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the North Korean side of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone. (Korea Summit Press Pool via AP, File)
Kim may have shipped over the massive bulletproof and fireproof limousine that became a social media sensation when Kim was shown being driven across the border between the Koreas during his first summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, in April, with a dozen staunch bodyguards encircling the auto. He could be seen speeding through Singapore on Sunday in a black limousine adorned with large North Korean flags.
In this photo released by the Ministry of Communications and Information of Singapore, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, arrives at the Changi International Airport, Sunday, June 10, 2018, in Singapore ahead of a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. (Ministry of Communications and Information of Singapore via AP)
Singapore's The Straits Times reported earlier this month that the Singapore government declared that four black BMW sedans with armored bodies that can withstand gunshots, explosives and grenades were exempt from certain traffic rules through June 30. The newspaper said the vehicles weren't from a local authorized dealer, which suggests the cars were brought in specifically for the summit and may be used by Kim.
In this April 27, 2018, file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves from a car as he returns to North Korea after the meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone. (Korea Summit Press Pool via AP, File)
Kim's bodyguards traveled with him, providing trusted protection to back up local Singapore security who were controlling the perimeter and crowds,
One benefit of Singapore from the North Korean point of view is that there will probably not be any anti-North Korea protests during Kim's stay. "Singapore is like a police state. How can such rallies take place there? Anyone involved in rallies would be arrested," said Choi Kang, vice president of Seoul's Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
Kim arrived Sunday at the St. Regis hotel, where his close aide has been based as he leads a North Korean advance team arranging security and logistics details. South Korea's Hankook Ilbo reported that Singapore recommended the St. Regis, which hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping during his 2015 summit with Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, because it can be easily secured.
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WHY'S HE TAKING THE RISK?
The short answer might be that, despite his safety worries, Kim could end up getting much more out of this summit than he will have to give up.
In this photo released by the Ministry of Communications and Information of Singapore, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, is greeted by Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan at the Changi International Airport, Sunday, June 10, 2018, in Singapore, ahead of a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. (Ministry of Communications and Information Singapore via AP)
The standard thinking goes that he needs quick help to stabilize and then rebuild an economy that has suffered amid a decades-long pursuit of nuclear bombs, and that the North Koreans see a unique chance to win concessions, legitimacy and protection from a meeting with a highly unconventional U.S. president who's willing to consider options past American leaders would not.
Kim also gets an "obvious and immediate win" by simply meeting with Trump, writes Joseph Yun, who was the top U.S. diplomat on North Korea until March.
It's "a sign of recognition that the North Koreans have sought for decades. In my meetings with North Korea's foreign ministry, its officials have repeatedly emphasized that only a leader-to-leader dialogue could break the nuclear impasse. At the root of this desire lies their central concern: regime survival," he wrote.
The summit has been portrayed as a "get to know you" meeting.
"That's a perfect deal for North Korea. They pocket all of it and lose essentially nothing," said Christopher Hill, President George W. Bush's lead nuclear negotiator with the North. "The North Koreans have already gotten what they need out of this. Their only issue is how much they have to give up. From what I can tell from (Trump's recent comments at the White House), they're not going to be asked to do much."
Kim may also be seeing the gamble in a light never considered by his autocratic father and grandfather because of "his determination to modernize North Korea," according to Ryan Haas, an Asia expert at the John L. Thornton China Center.
"Kim confronts rising expectations from within at the same time that he contends with ever-tightening sanctions from abroad," Haas wrote. "So, according to this logic, in order to satisfy internal expectations, he will need to reduce external pressure, and this dynamic could push Kim down the path of denuclearization."
Haas offers a useful warning, though, as people around the world settle in to watch the show in Singapore: "Virtually no North Korea analyst inside or outside of the U.S. government" expects Kim to actually give up his nukes.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling for “urgent de-escalation” of hostilities in the Middle East.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday that Guterres made the comments during a phone conversation with Iran’s foreign minister following Tehran’s weekend attack on Israel. Dujarric said Guterres spoke to Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Monday.
During an emergency Security Council meeting on Sunday, Guterres warned that “the Middle East is on the brink” and it's time to step back.
World leaders have urged Israel not to retaliate after Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles over the weekend in an unprecedented mission that pushed the Middle East closer to a regionwide war. The attack happened less than two weeks after a suspected Israeli strike in Syria killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consular building.
Tensions in the region have increased since the start of the latest Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, when Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a cross-border attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others. Israel responded with an offensive in Gaza that has caused widespread devastation and killed over 33,800 people, according to local health officials.
Currently:
— Israel says it will retaliate against Iran, despite the risks
— US Treasury Secretary Yellen says Iran’s actions could cause global ‘economic spillovers’ and warns of more sanctions.
— Citing safety, University of Southern California cancels speech by valedictorian who has publicly supported Palestinians
— Artist and curators refuses to open Israeli pavilion at Venice Biennale until cease-fire, hostage deal.
— US House speaker pushes toward a vote on aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.
Here is the latest:
UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations is appealing for $2.8 billion to provide desperately needed aid to 3 million Palestinians, stressing that tackling looming famine in war-torn Gaza doesn’t only require food but sanitation, water and health facilities.
Andrea De Domenico, the head of the U.N. humanitarian office for Gaza and the West Bank, told reporters Tuesday that “massive operations” are required to restore those services and meet minimum standards – and this can’t be done during military operations.
He pointed to the destruction of hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, homes, roads and schools, adding that “there is not a single university that is standing in Gaza.”
De Domenico said there is an initial sign of Israel’s “good intention” to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, but the U.N. keeps pushing because it’s not enough.
He pointed to Israeli denials and delays on U.N. requests for aid convoys to enter Gaza.
The U.N. humanitarian official called for a complete change of focus to recognize that preventing famine goes beyond providing flour for bread or pita and to recognize that “water, sanitation and health are fundamental to curb famine.”
WASHINGTON — The U.S. will impose new sanctions on Iran after Tehran launched its first ever direct aerial assault on Israel on Saturday, said National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
Sullivan said in a statement that the sanctions will target Iran’s missile and drone programs, as well as groups backing the country’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and its defense ministry.
The U.S. said that it anticipates other Group of Seven allies adding their own sanctions.
“These new sanctions and other measures will continue a steady drumbeat of pressure to contain and degrade Iran’s military capacity and effectiveness and confront the full range of its problematic behaviors,” Sullivan said.
Israel says Iran launched over 300 missiles and attack drones in the barrage. Iran said the attack was a response to an alleged Israeli airstrike that killed two Iranian generals in Syria on April 1.
UNITED NATIONS – U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “urgent de-escalation” of hostilities in a phone conversation with Iran’s foreign minister following Tehran’s weekend attack on Israel.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday that Guterres also called for “a renewed focus on bringing peace to the Middle East.” Dujarric said Guterres spoke to Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Monday.
Dujarric said the U.N. chief didn’t speak to any senior Israeli officials but that Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan heard his call during an emergency Security Council meeting on Sunday for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
Guterres reiterated his condemnation of the attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria’s capital, Damascus, on April 1, which violated the principle of “inviolability” of diplomatic premises under the Vienna conventions.
Dujarric told reporters Tuesday that the secretary-general’s call for restraint was clear: “We do not want to see another cycle of an eye for an eye, which is not a policy that will lead to peace.”
ROME — Italy’s defense minister says Iran “crossed a precise red line” with its direct attack on Israel, but is calling on Israel to avoid fueling a spiral of violence in the region.
Defense Minister Guido Crosetto spoke by telephone Tuesday with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. He expressed Italy’s continued friendship with Israel, according to a ministry statement.
According to the statement, Crosetto told Gallant “the crossing of a precise red line with the direct attack on Israel, on its territory, is worrying but it is precisely now that we need to be mature and act according to the rules of international law to avoid fuelling the spiral of violence that would see us all defeated.”
The message urging restraint is expected to be delivered this week as Italy, the current president of the Group of Seven countries, hosts G7 foreign ministers for a meeting in Capri starting Wednesday.
Italy has provided significant aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, first with a hospital ship anchored off the territory. Later, three humanitarian flights transported Palestinian children to Italian paediatric hospitals.
JULIS MILITARY BASE, Israel -- The Israeli military has displayed one of the Iranian ballistic missiles that was intercepted over the weekend.
Israel says Iran launched over 300 missiles and attack drones in the barrage. Iran said the attack was a response to an alleged Israeli airstrike that killed two Iranian generals in Syria on April 1.
Israel says that 99% of the incoming fire was intercepted, either by Israel’s air defense systems or by an international coalition that included Israel, British, French and Jordanian pilots.
Showing reporters the remnants of one of the missiles at an army base in southern Israel on Tuesday, military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said each warhead carried 500 kilos (over half a ton) of explosives.
Hagari said the coalition sent a powerful “message” to Iran.
He also said Iran would not get off “scot-free” and vowed an Israeli response. “We will respond in our time, in our place, in the way that we will choose,” he said.
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Tuesday that an independent Palestinian state should be recognized as soon as possible.
Sanchez was visiting Slovenia on a tour aimed at boosting support among European Union nations who favor such a move. He was received by his Slovenian counterpart Robert Golob to discuss the situation in the Middle East, with an emphasis on Gaza.
“Spain will strive for Palestine to become a full member of the U.N.,” Sanchez said.
He is among European leaders and government officials who have said that they could support a two-state solution in the Middle East as international frustration grows with Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories.
Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia in late March signed a joint statement saying they stand ready to recognize a Palestinian state when the move could “make a positive contribution and the circumstances are right.”
“For Slovenia the key question is when to recognize Palestine,” Golob said Tuesday. “Not if but when.”
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Western nations of double standards for speaking out against Iran over its weekend attacks on Israel but not condemning Israel for targeting the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital earlier.
In a televised speech on Tuesday, Erdogan also said his government would continue with diplomatic efforts that he says are aimed at de-escalating tensions in the Middle East.
“Israel’s targeting of the Iranian (mission) in Damascus in violation of international laws and the Vienna convention was the last drop," Erdogan said.
“Those who remained silent toward Israel’s aggressive attitude immediately raced to condemn Iran’s response,” he later added.
The Turkish leader accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of escalating tensions to “prolong his political life.”
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have called for an immediate cease-fire and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, on a visit to Islamabad, said Tuesday that international efforts toward a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas have been “wholly insufficient.”
Without mentioning an Iranian attack on Israel over the weekend, he said: “We are already in an unstable region, and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is already inflaming the region.”
Pakistan’s foreign minister described the killings in Gaza as “genocide” and said that the “world’s conscience must wake up.” Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for closer cooperation with Saudi Arabia to help his cash-strapped nation.
BEIRUT — An Israeli drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon killed a commander with the militant Hezbollah group and wounded two others Tuesday while another strike later in a nearby area inflicted casualties, state-run National News Agency reported.
Hezbollah identified the commander killed in the strike near the coastal city of Tyre as Ismail Baz.
The Israeli military said Baz served as a senior and veteran official in several positions of Hezbollah’s military wing. It added that as part of his position, Ismail was involved in the promotion and planning of rocket and anti-tank missile launches toward Israel from the coastal area of Lebanon.
Later Tuesday, another drone strike hit two cars in the village of Chehabiyeh killing and wounding several people, NNA said. It gave no further details.
Shortly before the strike that killed Baz, Hezbollah said it attacked Israel’s Iron Dome air defense units in the area of Beit Hillel and inflicted casualties. It later fired rockets toward the same area, the group said.
The Israeli military said two armed unmanned aerial vehicles crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory and exploded in Beit Hillel. That is under review, it said.
Hezbollah militants and Israeli forces have been exchanging fire since a day after the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7. Nearly 260 Hezbollah members and about 50 civilians have been killed on the Lebanese side of the border since then. The fighting has killed nine civilians and 11 soldiers in Israel.
LONDON — The U.K.-based budget airline EasyJet said it won't fly to Israel for the rest of the spring and summer season, after Iran attacked the country with a barrage of drones and missiles last weekend.
The carrier said it wouldn’t resume flights to Tel Aviv before late October.
“As a result of the continued evolving situation in Israel, EasyJet has now taken the decision to suspend its flights to Tel Aviv for the remainder of the summer season until 27 October,’’ the company said. “Customers booked to fly on this route up this date are being offered options including a full refund.”
German airline Lufthansa on Tuesday resumed flights to and from Tel Aviv, Amman and Erbil. Flights to Beirut and Tehran remain suspended until at least Thursday.
TEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian official says his country will respond within “seconds” if Israel seeks to retaliate for its attack over the weekend.
Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani said late Monday that Israel will face a “resolute and hard response” if it takes further action against Iran.
Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel over the weekend in response to an apparent Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria on April 1 that killed two Iranian generals.
With help from the United States, the United Kingdom, Jordan and other countries, Israel managed to intercept nearly all the projectiles and prevent major casualties or damage. It was the first time Iran has launched a direct military strike on Israel after decades of enmity going back to Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
But Bagheri Kani said “there will not be a 12 or 13-day gap between a Zionist regime move and Iran’s powerful response anymore. The Zionists must now reckon in seconds, not hours.”
Israel’s military chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said Monday that his country will respond to the Iranian attack without saying when or how. The U.S. and other allies of Israel have urged against any further escalation.
BERLIN — German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said she will fly to Israel on Tuesday to help de-escalate the tense situation after Iran’s weekend attack and express Germany’s support for Israel.
She called on all sides to prevent the conflict from spreading to other countries in the region and for new sanctions against Iran.
“I will assure our Israeli partners of Germany’s full solidarity,” she said. “And we will discuss how a further escalation with more and more violence can be prevented. Because what matters now is to put a stop to Iran without encouraging further escalation.”
Referring to Iran’s attack, the German minister said that “of course, this further military escalation now also has further consequences.”
Speaking to reporters in Berlin after a meeting with her Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, she said she would push for further European Union sanctions against Iran, specifically pointing out the country’s drone program.
Baerbock also said she would use her Tel Aviv visit to again demand that more humanitarian aid be let into Gaza. She also condemned the latest violence in the West Bank, where a 14-year-old Israeli boy was killed in what authorities say was a militant attack, followed by the deaths of seven Palestinians who were killed Israeli forces or settlers since Friday.
“I condemn the violent death of an Israeli boy in the strongest possible terms. At the same time, this must not be misused as a pretext for further violence. I also strongly condemn the attacks by extremist settlers in the West Bank, in which four or more Palestinians were killed,” she said.
GENEVA — Israeli security forces “must immediately end their active participation in and support for settler attacks on Palestinians," according to a Tuesday statement from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights after a wave of settler attacks on Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank triggered by the killing of a 14-year-old Israeli boy in what authorities say was a militant attack.
The Palestinian Health Ministry says seven Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers since the attacks began Friday, and another 75 have been wounded.
Israeli authorities have urged people not to resort to vigilante attacks as tensions soar. But rights groups have long accused Israeli forces of routinely ignoring settler attacks or even taking part in them.
The U.N. statement said “Palestinians have been subjected to waves of attacks by hundreds of Israeli settlers, often accompanied or supported by Israeli Security Forces.” It said that in addition to deaths and injuries, the attacks have also included the torching of hundreds of homes and other buildings, as well as cars.
“Israel, as the occupying power, must take all measures in its power to restore, and ensure, as far as possible, public order and safety in the occupied West Bank,” it said.
Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and has built scores of settlements there that are now home to over 500,000 Jewish settlers. The Palestinians want the West Bank, which is home to some 3 million Palestinians, to form the main part of their future state.
Violence has surged in the West Bank since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack out of Gaza that triggered the war. The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least 468 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war in Gaza. Most were shot dead by Israeli security forces during arrest raids or violent protests.
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — The Gaza Health Ministry says the bodies of 46 people killed by Israeli strikes have been brought to local hospitals over the Past 24 hours. That brings the overall Palestinian death toll from the Israel-Hamas war to at least 33,843, the ministry said Tuesday.
The Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its tallies but has said that women and children make up most of those killed.
Israel blames civilian casualties on Hamas because the militants fight in dense, urban neighborhoods. The military says it has killed over 13,000 militants, without providing evidence.
Israel withdrew more forces from Gaza earlier this month after wrapping up its offensive in the southern city of Khan Younis. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to invade the southernmost city of Rafah, where over half of Gaza’s population has sought refuge from fighting elsewhere.
The war erupted when Hamas launched a wide-ranging attack into southern Israel on Oct. 7. Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people that day and took around 250 hostage. Israel’s offensive has driven some 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million from their homes and pushed the besieged territory to the brink of famine.
People shop at the old main bazaar in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Israel says it is poised to retaliate against Iran, risking further expanding the shadow war between the two foes into a direct conflict after an Iranian attack over the weekend sent hundreds of munitions into Israeli airspace. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A shopkeeper advertises women's clothes of a shop at the old main bazaar in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Israel says it is poised to retaliate against Iran, risking further expanding the shadow war between the two foes into a direct conflict after an Iranian attack over the weekend sent hundreds of munitions into Israeli airspace. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A potential customer inspects nuts at a shop at the old main bazaar in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Israel says it is poised to retaliate against Iran, risking further expanding the shadow war between the two foes into a direct conflict after an Iranian attack over the weekend sent hundreds of munitions into Israeli airspace. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A street musician plays music at the old main bazaar in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Israel says it is poised to retaliate against Iran, risking further expanding the shadow war between the two foes into a direct conflict after an Iranian attack over the weekend sent hundreds of munitions into Israeli airspace. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A Palestinian man carries a wounded boy following an Israeli bombardment in the Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Several killed in a strike in Maghazi camp in Central Gaza on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians mourn over a killed family member in the Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah following an Israeli bombardment in the Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Several killed in a strike in Maghazi camp in Central Gaza on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Israeli military deputy head of the IDF International press department, first lieutenant Masha Michelson, display to the media one of the Iranian ballistic missiles Israel intercepted over the weekend, in Julis army base, southern Israel, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Israel says that Iran launched over 300 missiles and attack drones in the weekend attack. It says most of the incoming fire was intercepted, but a handful of missiles landed in Israel, causing minor damage and wounding a young girl. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
Protesters opposed to the war in Gaza block southbound Interstate 880 in Oakland, Calif., Monday, April 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP)
People stand in front of the closed Israeli national pavilion at the Biennale contemporary art fair in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. The sign announces that the artist and curators representing Israel at this year's Venice Biennale won't open the Israeli pavilion until there is a cease-fire in Gaza and an agreement to release hostages taken Oct. 7. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron arrives in Downing Street for a Cabinet meeting, in London, Tuesday April 16, 2024. Cameron has urged Israel “to be smart as well as tough” and avoid striking back at Iran in response to its Saturday drone and missile barrage. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)
Israeli military spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, display to the media one of the Iranian ballistic missiles Israel intercepted over the weekend, in Julis army base, southern Israel, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Israel says that Iran launched over 300 missiles and attack drones in the weekend attack. It says most of the incoming fire was intercepted, but a handful of missiles landed in Israel, causing minor damage and wounding a young girl. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
Demonstrators protesting the ongoing war in Gaza, block southbound traffic on Interstate 880 in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, April 15, 2024. Traffic in the San Francisco Bay Area was also snarled for hours Monday morning as pro-Palestinian demonstrators shut down both directions of the Golden Gate Bridge and stalled a 17-mile (27-kilometer) stretch of Interstate 880 in Oakland. (Brontë Wittpenn/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
People hold up signs referring to the U.S. president Joe Biden to not trust in the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they demonstrate demanding the end of the Israel-Hamas war with a regional peace agreement outside of the U.S. Embassy Branch Office in Tel Aviv, Monday, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
An Israeli soldier walks near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, Monday, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
A Revolutionary Guard member stands guard during an anti-Israeli gathering at the Felestin (Palestine) Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 15, 2024. World leaders are urging Israel not to retaliate after Iran launched an attack involving hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iranian demonstrators chant slogans during their anti-Israeli gathering at the Felestin (Palestine) Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 15, 2024. World leaders are urging Israel not to retaliate after Iran launched an attack involving hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iranian demonstrators chant slogans during a anti-Israeli gathering at the Felestin (Palestine) Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 15, 2024. World leaders are urging Israel not to retaliate after Iran launched an attack involving hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Israeli soldiers drive personnel carriers (APC) near the border with Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, Monday, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
A model of a missile is carried by Iranian demonstrators as minarets and dome of a mosque is seen at background during an anti-Israeli gathering at the Felestin (Palestine) Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 15, 2024. World leaders are urging Israel not to retaliate after Iran launched an attack involving hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Demonstrators wave a huge Iranian flag in their anti-Israeli gathering in front of an anti-Israeli banner on the wall of a building at the Felestin (Palestine) Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 15, 2024. World leaders are urging Israel not to retaliate after Iran launched an attack involving hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. The sign on the banner reads in Hebrew: "Your next mistake will be the end of your fake country." And the sign in Farsi reads: "The next slap will be harder." (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
An Israeli air force F-15 warplane is seen before landing in an airbase in central Israel, Monday, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
A Palestinian woman kisses Yazan Shtayyeh,17, killed in an Israeli military raid, just befor his funeral in West Bank village of Salem, Near the Palestinian town of Nablus, Monday, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
