Israel signals it will reply to Iran’s attack, diplomats say

Israel’s closest Western allies have pleaded with the country’s wartime government not to risk igniting a wider war by responding too strongly to Iran’s barrage of missiles and drones last weekend.

Top diplomats from Germany and Britain delivered that message in person to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem over the past days.

But Netanyahu emerged from those talks resolute that his country would not bow to any outside pressure when choosing its response.

He declared before a cabinet meeting that Israel would “do everything necessary to defend itself” and warned the allies that “we will make our own decisions,” according to his office.

British foreign secretary David Cameron, acknowledged just before meeting with the prime minister that Israel was unlikely to heed pleas to turn the other cheek.

“It is clear that the Israelis are making a decision to act,” Cameron told the BBC. “We hope that they do so in a way that does as little to escalate this as possible.”

The United States, Britain and Germany have been urging Israel to avoid making moves that could increase tension with Iran, which launched around 300 missiles and drones on Saturday night in what was believed to be its first direct attack on Israel.

Most of the missiles and drones were shot down before they reached their targets – thanks in part to the assistance of the United States, Britain, France and Jordan – and the ones that got through did minimal damage.

Iran warned that it would react forcefully to any Israeli aggression, with the army’s commander in chief, Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, saying on Wednesday: “We will respond with more deadly weapons.”

Israel’s war cabinet is said to be considering a range of options, from a direct strike on Iran to a cyberattack or targeted assassinations, trying to send a clear message to Iran while not sparking a major escalation.

“Israel will respond when it sees fit,” an Israeli official said on Wednesday, adding that it had “multiple ways” to do so. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Cameron said that the Group of 7 nations, which includes the United States as well as Britain and Germany, should work together to penalise Iran with sanctions. U.S. and European officials said separately on Tuesday that they were considering placing additional sanctions on Tehran that could target its oil revenue and weapons programmes.

German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said that Iran’s actions had “led an entire region to the brink of the abyss.”

“The aim now is to stop Iran without further escalation,” she said in a post on social media on Tuesday. “Iran’s plan to sow further violence must not work.”

Both ministers said they were also visiting to press for a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza and call attention to the continued captivity of the hostages held there. Iran’s attack has shifted international focus away from the six-month conflict.