The southern Lebanese arena has not quieted down from the sound of Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling, resulting in casualties and injuries in a raid targeting two cars in the town of Al-Shihabiya and another in Ain Baal - Tyre. This prompted Hezbollah to direct its missiles at several Israeli barracks and positions.

 Meanwhile, the "Quintet Committee" resumed its efforts to end the presidential vacancy in Lebanon without bringing any new developments except for a blend of opinions.

 Regionally, on the 193rd day of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, 8 civilians were killed due to an Israeli airstrike targeting a police car in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood in central Gaza.

 In turn, Israeli Minister of War Council and leader of the National Unity Party, Benny Gantz, affirmed that Israel would respond to the Iranian attack "at the appropriate time and manner." Israeli Army spokesman Avichay Adraee stated that "Iran annually sends tens of millions of dollars to every terrorist militia acting as its proxy."

  King Abdullah II of Jordan confirmed that the Kingdom will not be a battleground for any party and that "the protection of Jordanian citizens comes above all else."

 Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi assured his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone call initiated by the Iranian side today that Tehran does not seek any escalation in the Middle East.

  Internationally, US President Joe Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against responding to Iran, affirming that Washington will not participate in any attack on Iran.

  Similarly, US officials expect the Israeli response to the Iranian attack to be "limited in scope" and to target Iranian forces outside Iran and Tehran's proxies in the region.

 The Pentagon announced that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, via closed-circuit television in the first talks between the defense ministers of the two major powers in about 18 months.

  In another context, former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to amend his country's constitution to end the conflict with Russia.

 Meanwhile, Josep Borrell, the EU Commissioner for Security and Foreign Affairs, confirmed his knowledge of Iran's readiness to attack Israel days before it happened, considering Tehran's sending of drones that took hours to reach Israel as deliberate.

  Away from politics, a massive fire broke out on the roof of the historic stock exchange building in Copenhagen, leading to the collapse of the iconic tower of the building, one of the oldest structures in the city.

 Australian police announced that the attack on worshipers in an Assyrian church in Sydney yesterday, which left four people injured, was "a terrorist act."

  In the economic aspect, gold approached a record level influenced by geopolitical tensions between Iran and Israel.