Israel’s response to Iran attack awaited amid appeals for restraint
Israel’s war cabinet met for the third time in three days on Tuesday, an official said, to decide on a response to Iran’s first-ever direct attack, amid international pressure to avoid further escalating Middle East conflicts.
Military chief of staff Herzi Halevi had promised that on Saturday night’s launch of more than 300 missiles, cruise missiles and drones from Iran at Israeli territory “will be met with a response”, but gave no details.
While the attack caused no deaths and little damage, thanks to the air defences and countermeasures of Israel and its allies, it has increased fears that violence rooted in the Gaza war is spreading, with the risk of open war between long-time foes Iran and Israel.
Iran launched the attack in retaliation for an airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1 attributed to Israel, but signalled that it did not seek further escalation.
President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the weekend that the United States, Israel’s main protector, would not participate in an Israeli counter-strike.
Together with European allies, Washington instead strove on Tuesday to toughen economic and political sanctions against Iran in an attempt to dissuade Israel from violent retaliation.
Disrupting Iran’s destabilising activity
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he was “leading a diplomatic attack”, writing to 32 countries to ask them to place sanctions on Iran’s missile programme and follow Washington in proscribing its dominant military force, the Revolutionary Guard Corps, as a terrorist group.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the US would use
sanctions, and work with allies, to keep disrupting Iran’s “malign and destabilising activity”.
European Union foreign ministers scheduled a video meeting on the Middle East for Tuesday.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday the Group of Seven major democracies was working on a package of measures against Iran; Italy, which has the G7 presidency, suggested any new sanctions would target individuals.
Iran promises response ‘in seconds’
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani had told state TV on Monday night that Tehran’s response to any Israeli counter attack would come in “a matter of seconds, as Iran will not wait for another 12 days to respond”.
The prospect of Israeli retaliation has alarmed many Iranians already enduring economic pain and tighter social and political
controls since major protests in 2022-23.
However, White House national security spokesman John Kirby declined on Monday to say whether Biden had urged Netanyahu in talks on Saturday to exercise restraint in responding to Iran. “We don’t want to see a war with Iran. We don’t want to see a regional conflict,” Kirby told a briefing, adding that it was for Israel to decide “whether and how they’ll respond”.