Israel says monitoring 'planned attack' by Iran, proxies

US President Joe Biden will return to Washington on Saturday afternoon to consult with his national security team about events in the Middle East, cutting short his weekend trip to Delaware, the White House said.

Biden warned on Friday that Iran will launch an attack on Israel "sooner than later."

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The US Embassy in Lebanon has warned Americans about “the security environment” in the country and has asked them “to monitor the news for breaking developments.”

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US officials, including President Joe Biden have been warning in the past two days about a potential Iranian retaliatory attack against Israel that could spiral into a wider military confrontation in the region.

“We recommend that U.S. citizens in Lebanon monitor Travel.State.Gov for alerts and the news closely for breaking developments that could affect internal security,” the Embassy announced.

Further, the announcement warned against travel to potentially dangerous part of the country. “U.S. citizens should avoid travel to the Lebanon-Israel border area, the Lebanon-Syria border area, and refugee settlements. In all parts of Lebanon, you should avoid demonstrations and exercise caution if in the vicinity of any large gatherings or protests.”

Historically, a large number of American-Lebanese dual nationals have lived in Lebanon, as well as visiting Americans who may be affiliated with the American University of Beirut or other organizations.

Many European countries have either evacuated government employees, their families, or have made preparations for emergency evacuation from certain parts of the Middle East, including Iran. Several European airlines have also temporarily suspended flights to Iran.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard seized a cargo vessel in the Persian Gulf on Saturday claiming that it is Israeli. Apparently, the ship belongs to a company which is partly owned by an Israeli investor.

Follow developments on Iran International's Live coverage of ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel.

AMSTERDAM, April 13 (Reuters) - Dutch foreign minister Hanke Bruins Slot told her Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a phone call that Iran should not attack Israel and should take actions to "de-escalate", she said on social media platform X.

"During the conversation I also expressed my great concerns about the ship that was hijacked in the Strait of Hormuz and that these types of actions must stop", she added.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, days after Tehran said it could close the crucial shipping route, and warned it would retaliate for an Israeli strike on its consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus.

It is forbidden in Iran for strangers from the opposite sex to touch one another or show any sort of intimacy, specially in public.

On Friday, a young woman in Iran took a risk, running onto the field without wearing the compulsory hijab and was hugged by Esteghlal FC goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini during a match against another Iranian team, Aluminum Arak.

Khazali responded by writing to the minister of sports demanding that "guidelines for women's entry into stadiums be put into full effect as they are poorly implemented.”

The situation degraded when the police intervened to push Hosseini and the fan apart, leading to an altercation. Later he gave his jersey to her and she proudly waved it to the fans, who were shouting "shame on you" at the police.

In response, the Iranian Football League Organization has summoned Hosseini to a disciplinary committee for his hug, noting it to be "unprofessional and beyond the legal duties of a player."

The IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency also used the incident to criticize the policy of women in stadiums.

Iran’s approach to women spectators in sports venues has not only led to domestic controversy but also international scrutiny.

Despite some previous measures to relax restrictions, such as controlled entry for women, the backlash from 2022 nationwide protests led to a reversal, culminating in matches being held without any spectators for several months.

Follow developments on Iran International's Live coverage of ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel.