– It could have been worse – NRK Urix – Foreign news and documentaries

Israel launched a retaliatory attack on Iran last night after the Iranian attack on Israel on October 1. There were reports of severe explosions in and around Tehran.

– Then I will say something I rarely say about the war in the Middle East: it could have been worse, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide tells NRK.

-Lie in the cards

He says that Israel could have responded after the Iranian attack on Israel.

-We've been waiting for this. Then the United States and a number of other countries tried to convince Israel that there should be a limited response, the Foreign Minister says.

Iran says it will respond to the attack, but Parth Edi is not convinced that will happen.

Based on what we know now, this appears to be an attack against military targets, not against nuclear facilities or oil facilities, but against missile batteries and missile production facilities. He adds that it is therefore possible that Iran will refrain from any further response.

The limited attack makes the Foreign Minister believe that this may be the end of this cycle of violence.

We would like to avoid this whole cycle of revenge. Parth Eddy says it is almost impossible to pinpoint who started it.

Palestine and Gaza

He notes that there have been attacks back and forth in various forms, both indirectly with proxies, but also a direct exchange of missiles, among other things, between the two countries.

– So I would say that this would be a very good opportunity for Iran to say that we are now completely stopping this, says the Foreign Minister.

Meanwhile, the war in Palestine and Gaza continues in full force.

– There is now a very tragic situation, for example in northern Gaza, where large-scale military attacks are taking place and almost no emergency aid is arriving. Therefore, we should not forget that the situation is most dramatic now, says Parth Eddy.

He points out that everything in the Middle East is connected to everything, not least “the main issue that has not been resolved for decades after decades, which is the lack of a Palestinian state.”

-The key to some kind of final peace agreement between Israel and several surrounding countries has not been found. That is why it is so important that we now emerge from the hell of violence that we have witnessed for so long, and move on to the political process.

– This is where Norway wants to contribute in the future, says Barth Ede.

– Breathe a sigh of relief

Barth Eide believes that the Americans are happy that the Israeli attack has not become worse than it was.

One should not overestimate the scale of international issues that could change the outcome of the election that is now less than two weeks away, but I am quite sure that both President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are breathing a sigh of relief. The Foreign Minister says it has not gotten more dramatic.

He explains that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is deeply divisive in the United States, especially for the Democratic Party.

– They have strong pro-Israel constituencies, but also increasingly strong pro-Palestinian constituencies in their own organization. Parth Eddy says this was a difficult balancing act for them.

The British Prime Minister also responded to the Israeli attack on Iran.

– I know that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression. “We must avoid escalation at the regional level,” says Keir Starmer. “I urge all parties to show strength. Iran should not retaliate.”

He added that the British government will continue to work with its allies to calm the situation in the region.