Israel quiet on next steps against Iran and which partners helped shoot down missiles
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli leaders on Sunday credited an international military coalition with helping thwart a direct Iranian attack involving hundreds of drones and missiles, calling the coordinated response a starting point for a "strategic alliance" of regional opposition to Tehran.
But Israel's War Cabinet met without making a decision on next steps, an official said, as a nervous world waited for any sign of further escalation of the former shadow war.
The military coalition, led by the United States, Britain and France and appearing to include a number of Middle Eastern countries, gave Israel support at a time when it finds itself isolated over its war against Hamas in Gaza. The coalition also could serve as a model for regional relations when that war ends.
"This was the first time that such a coalition worked together against the threat of Iran and its proxies in the Middle East," said the Israeli military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.
One unknown is which of Israel's neighbors participated in the shooting down of the vast majority of about 350 drones and missiles Iran launched. Israeli military officials and a key War Cabinet member noted additional "partners" without naming them. When pressed, White House national security spokesman John Kirby would not name them either.
But one appeared to be Jordan, which described its action as self-defense.
"There was an assessment that there was a real danger of Iranian marches and missiles falling on Jordan, and the armed forces dealt with this danger. And if this danger came from Israel, Jordan would take the same action," Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-safadi said in an interview on Al-mamlaka state television. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Jordan's King Abdullah on Sunday.
Restraint
UN Secretary-general Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for maximum restraint after Iran's retaliatory attacks on Israel over the latter's deadly assault on the Iranian consulate in Syria.
"The Middle East is on the brink. The people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict. Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate. Now is the time for maximum restraint," he told an emergency meeting of the Security Council.
Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, in a letter to the president of the Security Council, stated that Iran's action was taken "in response to the Israeli recurring military aggressions, particularly its armed attack on April 1, 2024, against Iranian diplomatic premises (in Damascus)."
Guterres reminded all member states that the UN Charter prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state and that the principle of inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel must be respected in all cases in accordance with international law.
"It's time to step back from the brink. It is vital to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East," said Guterres.
"Civilians are already bearing the brunt and paying the highest price."
The international community also has a shared responsibility to stop violence in the occupied West Bank, de-escalate the situation along the Lebanonisrael border, and re-establish safe navigation in the Red Sea, he said.
"We have a shared responsibility to work for peace. Regional, and indeed global, peace and security are being undermined by the hour. Neither the region nor the world can afford more war," he said.
Just ahead of Iran's attack, the commander of CENTCOM, Gen. Erik Kurilla, visited Israel to map out a strategy.
Israel's military chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, on Sunday thanked CENTCOM for the joint defensive effort. Both Jordan and Saudi Arabia are under the CENTCOM umbrella. While neither acknowledged involvement in intercepting Iran's launches, the Israeli military released a map showing missiles traveling through the airspace of both nations.
The White House signaled that it hopes to build on the partnerships and urged Israel to think twice before striking Iran. U.S. officials said Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington would not participate in any offensive action against Iran.