Israel will make its own decisions about how to defend itself, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, as Western countries pleaded for restraint in responding to a volley of attacks from Iran.
Iran's direct attack has sparked concerns of an all-out war breaking in the Middle East after decades of shadow war between the two adversaries. However, their relations were not so adversarial as Iran and Israel once shared close relations after the latter's formation in 1948.
The suspected Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria and Tehran's subsequent retaliation have sparked global alarm over a possible all-out war in the Middle East. Israel has warned that Iran's missile and drone attacks will be met with a response and Tehran has threatened a harsher response.
Iran launched 300 missiles and drones in retaliation for an airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1, that killed 12 including a military commander. The world is now on edge for a possible Israeli retaliation that is certain to escalate into a wider conflict in the Middle East.
Cameron's statement marks the starkest warning of a further escalation of tensions in the region after Iran directly attacked Israel on Saturday for the first time in decades. Iran launched some 300 missiles and drones in retaliation for a suspected Israeli attack on an Iranian embassy in Syria.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that coming US sanctions would target Iran’s missile and drone program and entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s Defense Ministry.
While Israeli leaders have hinted at retaliation, the government is under heavy international pressure not to further escalate the conflict — especially after the Iranian strike caused such little damage.
Israelis awaited word on how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would respond to Iran's first-ever direct attack as international pressure for restraint grew amid fears of an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
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