Anti-anarchism

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday Tehran would "respond firmly and effectively" to deadly Israeli strikes on military sites over the weekend.

"We are using all available means to respond firmly and effectively to the aggression of the Zionist regime," Baghaei told a regular news conference.

Iran has fired hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel amid heightened tensions between two regional arch-rivals.

The attack started around 8.15 p.m. local time (1645GMT) on Tuesday. Iranian media said at least 400 missiles had been launched so far.

European Union foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting Monday night to address rising tensions in the Middle East following Israel's airstrikes on Lebanon over the weekend and the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The evacuation of Bulgarian citizens from Lebanon is underway. Petya Nikolova, a Bulgarian living 20 km from Beirut, shared with Nova TV that she received instructions yesterday afternoon to remain on standby. Arrangements were being made regarding the distance she would need to travel to the airport. Nikolova confirmed that the evacuation process has begun.

Pro-Palestinian campaigners protested at the gates of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on Sunday, accusing Britain of offering tacit support to Israel's ongoing operations in Gaza and elsewhere.

The situation in the Middle East remains highly volatile and appears increasingly grim. In Western capitals, there is significant concern about a potential escalation of Israel’s conflict with the terrorist organizations Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iranian involvement cannot be dismissed either.

Amid global fears of a large-scale upheaval in the Middle East, Israel's ambassador to Greece, Noam Katz, warned Iran not to attack Israel, saying it has the ability to react decisively.

Speaking at the ninth Delphi Economic Forum in Greece, Katz said Israel is a strong country, with "very strong defense measures and the ability to react." 

Thousands of people chanted against Israel and the United States at Friday's funeral for seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals, who were killed in an air strike in Syria, which Iran blamed on Israel.

An Israeli airstrike targeted the Iranian consulate in Damascus, resulting in fatalities, including Mohammed Zahedi, a high-ranking commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guards, according to Tehran's state media. The consulate, situated in Damascus' Mezeh district, was completely demolished in the attack.

An Israeli airstrike that demolished Iran's consulate in Syria on Monday killed two Iranian generals and five officers, according to Iranian officials. The strike appeared to signify an escalation of Israel's targeting of military officials from Iran, which supports militant groups fighting Israel in Gaza, and along its border with Lebanon.