Israel has clearly decided to retaliate against Iran for missile and drone attacks, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said during a visit to Israel, in what is yet another stark warning of yet another burst of regional escalation, reports Reuters.
"It is clear that the Israelis are making a decision to act," Cameron told reporters at the start of a visit to Jerusalem.
"We hope that they will do it in a way that this escalates as little as possible".
Washington and other Western governments hope that new economic sanctions on Iran will help persuade Israel to limit the scope of its retaliation.
Cameron said Britain wanted to see coordinated sanctions against Iran by the Group of Seven major democracies, which are meeting this Sunday in Italy.
"The G7 must give them a clear, unequivocal message," he said.
Israel is expected to discuss its response to Iran at a meeting of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet, which includes centrist rivals brought into the government as a gesture of unity after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.
German Minister of Foreign Affairs: The Middle East must not slide into an unpredictable situation
German Foreign Minister Analena Berbock said that during talks in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others, she made it clear that the Middle East must not be allowed to slide into a situation whose outcome is completely unpredictable, reports Reuters.
"Now everyone has to act prudently and responsibly," Berbok said before leaving Israel for a meeting of the Group of Seven (G7), which she had said would discuss sanctions against Iran.
Berbock was visiting Israel for the seventh time since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 to help with efforts to de-escalate tensions since Iran's attack on Israel over the weekend.
"Because that would not serve anyone, not the security of Israel, not the many dozens of hostages still in the hands of Hamas, not the suffering population of Gaza, not the many people in Iran who themselves are suffering under the regime, and not the third countries in the region who simply want to live in peace".
Netanyahu: Israel will do whatever it takes to defend itself
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked the visiting foreign ministers of Germany and Britain for their support, but said that Israel will make its own decisions about its security.
"I want to be clear - we will make our own decisions, and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself," he said, according to a statement released by his office.
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