Nairobi,
Sunday, 14 April, 2024
McCreadie Andias
President William Ruto has called for an immediate ceasefire and peaceful resolution in the wake of Iran’s missile strikes to Israel, further urging Israel to restrain from the war.
In a tweet on X, Ruto said that the conflict is adding more heat on the already exercebating tensions in the middle east..
“Kenya is deeply concerned by Iran’s attack on the State of Israel. This disturbing development only serves to aggravate an already delicate situation in the Middle East.” Ruto said.
“The attack represents a real and present threat to international peace and security, contravenes the Charter of the United Nations and should be condemned by all peace loving countries. In responding to this act of aggression, Kenya urges Israel to show utmost restraint taking into account the urgent need for all parties to walk away from the brink beyond which recovery will be enormously difficult.”Ruto added.
Iran unleashed a barrage of missiles and drones on Saturday and during the early hours of Sunday, targeting Israel in retaliation for last week’s suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus that killed 13 people.
This marks the first-ever direct attack by Iran on Israeli territory from Iranian soil.
The attack began on Saturday night around 20:00 GMT. It lasted approximately five hours, according to US officials.
During the attack, explosions were heard in cities across Israel, including Tel Aviv.
Iran’s attack is a retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike that killed an Iranian military commander, Major-General Mohammad Reza Zahed, in Damascus on April 1.
He was killed along with six other Iranian nationals, including another general. At least six Syrian citizens were also killed.
On Saturday, Iranian state media announced that the the country’s armed forced had seized an Israel-linked container ship near the Strait of Hormuz.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country “will win”, in a tweet after the attacks. Earlier, he spoke to the nation, stating that the military was prepared for any scenario.
“Citizens of Israel, in recent years, and especially in recent weeks, Israel has been preparing for a direct attack by Iran,” Netanyahu said.
“Our defensive systems are deployed; we are ready for any scenario, both defensively and offensively. The State of Israel is strong. The [Israeli army] is strong. The public is strong.”
He also thanked his allies, including the US and UK, for “standing alongside” Israel.
“We have determined a clear principle: Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We will defend ourselves against any threat and will do so level-headedly and with determination,” he added.
