British Envoy Says Israel Is ‘Making A Decision To Act’ As Iran Vows To Respond To Any Incursion

JERUSALEM — British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Wednesday that Israel “is making a decision to act” in response to Iran’s missile and drone attacks over the weekend, while Iran warned that even the “tiniest” assault of its territory would result in a “massive and harsh” reaction.

Israel has promised to retaliate to Iran’s unprecedented attack without specifying when or how leaving the region braced for more escalation following months of turmoil connected to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Israel’s closest allies, including the United States and the United Kingdom, who assisted in repelling the Iranian strike, are attempting to contain any further escalation.

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British Envoy Says Israel Is ‘Making A Decision To Act’ As Iran Vows To Respond To Any Incursion

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, meanwhile, warned Israel against retribution as he attended an annual army parade, which had been shifted to a barracks from its customary route and was not shown live on state television, possibly due to fears of being targeted.

In remarks broadcast by Iran’s official IRNA news agency, Raisi said Saturday’s attack was limited and that if Iran had intended to carry out a larger attack, “nothing would remain from the Zionist regime.”

Adding to already high tensions, Lebanon’s Hezbollah launched a rocket attack on a northern Israeli border town on Wednesday, injuring 13 people, four of them critically, according to the Israeli rescue service Magen David Adom. The Iran-backed militant organization said it was in revenge for the deaths of several of its fighters, including a commander, in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon the day before.

On Wednesday, Cameron and Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visited Israel separately to meet top officials. The two European countries, Israel’s closest allies, have recommended caution.

Cameron stated that “it’s clear the Israelis are making a decision to act” against Iran, but he hoped they would do so “in a way that is smart as well as tough and also does as little as possible to escalate this conflict.” He said that after meeting with Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog, whose position is largely ceremonial,

Cameron stated that the primary goal of his visit was to refocus attention on the ongoing conflict in Gaza, including the need for a cease-fire and the release of Hamas hostages.

Baerbock stated that Germany is “in full solidarity with Israel” but urged it to exhibit caution.

“Everyone must now be prudent and responsible. I am not talking about giving in. “I am talking about prudent restraint, which is nothing short of strength,” she told reporters. “Because Israel has already shown strength with its defensive victory at the weekend.”

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British Envoy Says Israel Is ‘Making A Decision To Act’ As Iran Vows To Respond To Any Incursion

The ministers indicated they would advocate for additional international sanctions on Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he met with both ministers and thanked them for their countries’ assistance.

“They give a variety of options and advice. I appreciate it. But I want to be clear: We will make our own judgments, and the State of Israel will do everything it takes to defend itself,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones toward Israel over the weekend in retaliation for a purported Israeli raid on Iran’s embassy compound in Syria on April 1, which killed 12 people, including two Iranian generals.

Israel claims to have successfully intercepted nearly all of the missiles and drones with the assistance of the United States, the United Kingdom, neighboring Jordan, and other countries. A seven-year-old child was injured in the attack, which did not result in any fatalities or significant damage.

Israel and Iran have fought a covert war for decades, but the weekend strike was the first direct Iranian military attack on Israel.

Regional tensions have risen since Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two Palestinian armed factions funded by Iran, launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7. The attack killed over 1,200 Israelis, and the extremists held approximately 250 hostages. Israel reacted with one of the deadliest and most damaging military offensives in recent memory, killing approximately 34,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.

Israel has withdrawn the majority of its forces from Gaza following significant offensives that destroyed its two largest cities, Gaza City and Khan Younis. However, Israeli officials claim the battle is far from done and that they intend to send ground forces into Rafah, the southernmost Gaza city where more than half of the territory’s 2.3 million residents have taken safety from fighting elsewhere.

Hamas is still holding over 130 hostages, with a quarter of them believed to be dead, while international efforts to mediate a cease-fire and hostage release have made no progress.

Since the war began, Hezbollah, another close ally of Iran, has traded fire with Israel along the border on a nearly daily basis in a low-intensity confrontation that risks escalating into all-out war. Iran-backed organizations in Iraq and Syria have also conducted strikes, while Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have targeted international shipping in the Red Sea, claiming it is a blockade of Israel.

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British Envoy Says Israel Is ‘Making A Decision To Act’ As Iran Vows To Respond To Any Incursion

President Joe Biden’s administration imposed further penalties against Iran on Tuesday and has sought to coordinate a worldwide response to the attack, asking all sides to de-escalate. US officials claimed earlier this week that Biden informed Netanyahu that Washington would not take any offensive measures against Iran.

Israel looks unlikely to attack Iran directly without US cooperation, but it may use more covert ways, such as attacking other prominent Iranian commanders or Iran-backed forces in other countries or conducting a cyber attack.

Given the heightened tensions, it’s uncertain how Iran will respond. Any miscalculation on either side risks sparking a regional conflict.

SOURCE – (AP)