Israel weighs response to Iran attack as world leaders urge caution

TDT | Manama   

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday his country would decide for itself how to respond to Iran’s unprecedented attack, with world leaders urging restraint.

Meanwhile, the war in Gaza that has sent regional tensions soaring continued unabated with efforts at a truce appearing to flounder, as key mediator Qatar said it was re-evaluating its role in the stalling negotiations.

The Israeli military has vowed to respond to Iran’s missile and drone attack last weekend, prompting a diplomatic flurry aimed at calming the Middle East. Washington and Brussels have pledged to ramp up sanctions against Iran, while British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock became the first Western envoys to visit Israel since the attack.

Netanyahu told the visiting ministers that Israel “will reserve the right to protect itself,” his office said. The pair offered “all kinds of suggestions and advice” during a meeting, Netanyahu said.

“However, I would also like to clarify: we will make our decisions ourselves.”

Anxious

For his part, Cameron said “we’re very anxious to avoid escalation and to say to our friends in Israel: It’s a time to think with head as well as heart.”

Baerbock emphasised that “the region must not slide into a situation whose outcome is completely unpredictable.” Tehran has vowed to hit back if its arch-foe Israel responds to the Saturday attack, which itself was launched in retaliation to a deadly strike on Iran’s Damascus consulate building earlier this month.

Iran-backed Hamas called the attack on Israel a “legitimate and deserved” response to the Damascus strike.

Warning

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi warned after the attack of “a fierce and severe response” to any retaliation, and on Wednesday his country celebrated its annual Army Day with a parade featuring various attack drones and long-range missiles.

In the large-scale assault late Saturday, Iran and allied groups launched over 300 missiles and drones carrying a combined payload of 85 tonnes at Israel, according to the Israeli army, almost all of which were intercepted by Israel and its partners.