Europe joins US in urging restraint by Israel after attack
Israel’s European allies yesterday urged it to show restraint over Iran’s weekend missile and drone attack, calling on Israeli leaders to step away from “the edge of the cliff” of escalation in the Middle East.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war Cabinet, which is empowered to decide on the nation’s response, was set to convene yesterday afternoon, a government source said.
Israeli officials said the war Cabinet, which also met on Sunday, favored retaliation, but was divided over the timing and scale of any such response.
With the danger of open warfare erupting between Israel and Iran, and tension high over the war in Gaza, US President Joe Biden has told Netanyahu that Washington would not participate in any Israeli counteroffensive against Iran, US officials said.
The UK, France, Germany and the EU’s foreign policy chief all joined Washington and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in calling for restraint.
“We’re on the edge of the cliff and we have to move away from it,” EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell told Spanish radio station Onda Cero. “We have to step on the brakes and reverse gear.”
French President Emmanuel Macron urged Israel to set its sight on isolating Iran rather than escalating the situation. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned Tehran not to carry out more attacks and said Israel must also contribute to de-escalation.
Russia has refrained from criticizing its ally Iran in public over the strikes, but yesterday expressed concern about the risk of escalation and also called for restraint.
“Further escalation is in no one’s interests,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Iran launched the attack over a suspected Israeli airstrike on its embassy compound in Syria on April 1 that killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards officers, including two senior commanders.
It followed months of clashes between Israel and Iran’s regional allies, triggered by the Gaza war that has spread to fronts with Iran-aligned groups in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq.
The weekend attack, involving more than 300 missiles and drones, caused only modest damage in Israel. Most were shot down by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system and with help from the US, Britain, France and Jordan.
The only serious injury reported within Israel was a seven-year-old who was hurt by shrapnel.
Iranian Army Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri has warned Israel not to retaliate, and told Washington that US bases could be attacked if it helps Israel do so.