War cabinet meets for third time after attack
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 direct attack, amid international pressure to avoid escalating the conflicts in the Middle East.
Military chief of staff Herzi Halevi had promised that Saturday night’s launch of more than 300 missiles, cruise missiles and drones from Iran into 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 concerns that violence rooted in the Gaza war is spreading, and fears of open war between the long-time foes.
Iran launched the attack in retaliation for an air strike 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 US, Israel’s main protector, would not participate in an Israeli counter-strike.
Together with European allies, Washington strove on Tuesday to toughen economic and political sanctions in an attempt to persuade Israel to abstain from violent retaliation.
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, 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”.
Last autumn, Germany campaigned with France and other EU partners to extend an existing EU sanctions regime against Iran that targets drone production. Its foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said on Tuesday that several EU members had now promised to look again at extending those sanctions, announcing that she would head to Israel to discuss how to prevent an escalation.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday that the Group of Seven (G7) democracies were working on a package of measures against Iran. Italy, which has the G7 presidency, suggested any new sanctions would target individuals.
INSIDE LEBANON
Iranian deputy foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani told state TV on Monday night that Tehran’s response to any Israeli counterattack 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, who are already enduring economic pain and tighter social and political controls since protests in 2022-23.
Since the war in Gaza began in October, clashes have erupted between Israel and Iran-aligned groups based in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq.
Israel said four of its soldiers were wounded hundreds of metres inside Lebanese territory overnight, the first known Israeli ground penetration into Lebanon since the war erupted, though it has traded fire with the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby declined on Monday to say whether Biden had urged Netanyahu in talks on Saturday night 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”.
OIL EXPORTS
Some analysts said the Biden administration was unlikely to seek to sharpen sanctions on Iran’s oil exports due to worries about boosting oil prices and angering top buyer China.
In a call between the Chinese and Iranian foreign ministers, China said it believed Iran could “handle the situation well and spare the region further turmoil” while safeguarding its sovereignty and dignity, according to Chinese state media.
Russia has refrained from publicly criticising its ally Iran but has also warned against further escalation.
In Gaza itself, where more than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive, according to Gaza health ministry figures, Iran’s action drew applause.
Israel began its campaign against Hamas, the Iranianbacked militant group that runs Gaza, after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages, by Israeli tallies.