Top diplomats from the UK and Germany visited Jerusalem on Wednesday in an effort to calm tensions in the Middle East, following Israel's indication that it would not let Iran's extensive aerial attack over the weekend go unanswered.
David Cameron, the British Foreign Secretary, and Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s Foreign Minister, held discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Following the meeting, Netanyahu stated that Israel would "do everything necessary to defend itself."
Israel's allies, including the United States, Britain, and Germany, had urged Israel to refrain from taking any actions that could escalate tensions with Iran. This advice came after Iran launched approximately 300 missiles and drones on Saturday night, marking what was believed to be its first direct attack on Israel.
During the visit David Cameron stated that Israel would take action in response. “It is clear that the Israelis are making a decision to act,” he told the BBC. “We hope that they do so in a way that does as little to escalate this as possible.”
Speaking to a meeting of his Cabinet on Wednesday, Netanyahu said he met with both ministers and thanked them for their countries’ support. But he said Israel would make the call on its own on how to respond despite “all sorts of suggestions and advice” coming from Israel’s allies, some of whom — including the U.S., U.K. and France — helped Israel repel Iran’s drone and missile assault.
“I want to be clear: we will make our decisions ourselves. The state of Israel will do whatever is necessary to defend itself,” Netanyahu said.
Despite the tough rhetoric, Israel appears unlikely to attack Iran directly without at least the support of its top ally, the U.S. But it could resort to more covert methods such as targeting senior Iranian commanders or Iran-backed groups in other countries, or launching a cyber attack.
It’s unclear how Iran might respond given the heightened tensions. Any miscalculation by either side risks setting off a regional war.
Over the weekend, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel in response to an apparent Israeli strike on Iran’s embassy compound in Syria on April 1 that killed 12 people, including two Iranian generals.
Israel says it and its partners successfully intercepted nearly all the missiles and drones. A 7-year-old girl was wounded in the attack, which did not cause any deaths or major damage.
Israel and Iran have waged a shadow war for decades, but the strike over the weekend was the first direct Iranian military attack on Israel.
Baerbock said Germany stands “in full solidarity with Israel” but called on it to exercise restraint.
“Everyone must now act prudently and responsibly. I’m not talking about giving in. I’m talking about prudent restraint, which is nothing less than strength,” she told reporters. “Because Israel has already shown strength with its defensive victory at the weekend.”
The ministers said they would push for further international sanctions on Iran.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi warned Israel against any retaliation as he addressed an annual army parade, which had been relocated to a barracks from its usual route and was not carried live on state TV — possibly because of fears that it could be targeted.
In remarks carried by Iran’s official IRNA news agency, Raisi said Saturday’s attack was limited, and that if Iran had wanted to carry out a bigger attack, “nothing would remain from the Zionist regime.”
