Israel’s War Cabinet decided to hit back “clearly and forcefully” against Iran, yet hoping it would not trigger a regional war. On the other hand, Iran has announced that it will “respond immediately and more strongly than before” if Israel retaliates.
The Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, warned the members on Sunday not to further escalate the tensions by retaliating against Iran.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, accused Iran of violating international law, while his Iranian counterpart invoked the right to self-defense, stating that he “had no choice”.
The United States has said it will work to hold Tehran accountable, Reuters reports. On the other hand, the White House has warned Israel that the US will not participate in any retaliatory attack on Iran, according to the BBC.
Monday afternoon saw the conclusion of a war cabinet meeting concerning Israel’s reaction to Iran’s extensive missile and drone assault. Amidst calls for Jerusalem to proceed cautiously to avoid escalating tensions into a regional conflict, reports suggested a retaliatory action could occur imminently. Channel 12, citing undisclosed sources, reported that the war cabinet had resolved to respond decisively to Iran’s aggression, aiming to convey Israel’s unwavering stance against such attacks, reports The Times of Israel.
On the other hand, Iran’s foreign minister told his British counterpart that Iran will respond immediately and more forcefully than before if Israel retaliates, Sky News reports. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian insisted in talks with David Cameron that Iran does not want tensions to escalate but could be forced to retaliate.
Iran had called on Israel not to respond militarily to its unprecedented attack from Saturday night into Sunday, which it presented as a justified retaliation to the Israeli attack that destroyed its consulate in Damascus. “The case can be considered closed,” announced the Iranian mission to the UN in a message posted on Sunday, three hours after the start of the operation. However, it underlined that “if the Israeli regime makes another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably tougher.”
France confirms Iranian missile interception
President Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Monday that France intercepted Iranian missiles and drones that targeted Israel overnight at “Jordan’s request,” reports Politico.
Israel “was able to stop almost all of these missiles and drones. Only seven landed, injuring one person,” Macron said, calling the operation a “victory for Israel.”
Macron expressed concern about the escalation in the Middle East and pledged to do “everything possible to avoid a conflagration”. The French president announced that he will talk with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the day on Monday.
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