The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
‘It’ s time for calm heads’ Sunak tells Netanyahu in call
Rishi Sunak has told Benjamin Netanyahu it is “a moment for calm heads to prevail” in Israel’s response to Iran’s missile and drone attack.
Mr Sunak spoke to his counterpart yesterday afternoon after first telling MPs 24 hours earlier that he would speak to Mr Netanyahu “shortly”.
Israeli media had said Mr Netanyahu was refusing to take calls from world leaders seeking to influence the response to Saturday night’s attack.
After the call, a Downing Street spokesperson said Mr Sunak “reiterated the UK’s steadfast support for Israel’s security and for wider regional stability”.
He added: “Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked the UK for its rapid and robust support in the face of Iran’s reckless and dangerous attack on Saturday.
“The prime minister said Iran had badly miscalculated and was increasingly isolated on the global stage, with the G7 co-ordinating a diplomatic response. He stressed that significant escalation was in no one’s interest and would only deepen insecurity in the Middle East.
“This was a moment for calm heads to prevail.”
Mr Sunak also told the Israeli prime minister “he remained gravely concerned about the deepening humanitarian crisis” in Gaza.
“The UK wanted to see a massive step change in aid access to flood Gaza with vital supplies, including Israel opening up new aid routes as quickly as possible,” the spokesman said.
“The prime minister said it was deeply disappointing that Hamas blocked a deal at the weekend that would have saved Palestinian lives and secured the safe release of hostages.”
Responding to questions about the delay to the call earlier, Downing Street denied the UK, which deployed RAF jets to help thwart Iran’s barrage, was being “taken for granted” by Israel and suggested Mr
Netanyahu’s other commitments meant a call had not been possible.
The prime minister’s spokesman said: “He has obviously been in discussions with his war cabinet. The foreign secretary and defence secretary have been speaking to their counterparts.”
Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron, who is set to visit Israel soon, has urged Tel Aviv to be “smart as well as tough” by not escalating the conflict with Iran.
Mr Sunak has come under pressure from senior Tories and the Israeli government to ban Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation in the wake of the attack.
However, doing so could jeopardise the UK’s ability to engage with Tehran, a UK minister suggested.
The government is keen to preserve diplomatic channels to minimise the risk of a miscalculation in the Middle East igniting a wider war.
The IRGC wields significant influence in Iran’s politics and has been blamed for destabilising the Middle East through its support for groups including Hamas and Hezbollah targeting Israel and for the Houthis in Yemen who have attacked shipping in the Red Sea.
Senior Tories including former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and ex-home secretary Suella Braverman have urged the prime minister to proscribe the corps as a terrorist organisation.
Mr Sunak has indicated that any further action could be co-ordinated with the UK’s allies in the G7 democracies.
The US has already designated the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.
Iran’s attack took place following a suspected Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, that killed seven Iranian top brass.
An Iranian official said his country will respond “within seconds” if Israel seeks to retaliate for its attack over the weekend.