Several Western leaders are urging Israel to refrain from escalating its feud with Iran, as Tehran prepares for an attack and warns of a “painful response.”
Some countries hoping Israel will show restraint instead of escalating the tension with Tehran participated in the international coalition that aided Israel in thwarting Iran’s unprecedented aerial attack last weekend.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron told BBC TV, “I think they’re perfectly justified to think they should respond because they have been attacked, but we are urging them as friends to think with head as well as heart, to be smart as well as tough.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Wednesday that she hopes both sides demonstrate “prudence and restraint.”
“At a time like this, when Iran is not only attacking Israel without precedent but has brought the entire region to the brink of a regional conflict, everyone is standing together,” she added.
Their sentiments have been shared by others as well, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintained that this decision will be made by Israel alone.
“I thank our friends for their support for the defense of Israel. … They also have all kinds of suggestions and advice, I appreciate it, but I want to make it clear: We will make our own decisions, and the state of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself,” Netanyahu said.
An Iranian leader threatened a significant response to any Israeli action.
“The smallest action against Iran’s interests will definitely be met with a severe, extensive, and painful response against all its perpetrators,” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said.
Iranian forces have begun preparing for an Israeli response. The Iranian Navy has begun escorting its vessels in the Red Sea and started evacuating personnel from Syria, where the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has a large presence, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Israeli leaders vowed preemptively that they would respond to any Iranian attack, though they have not provided details as to what their response could entail. More hawkish advocates view Iran’s attack, which was historic because it came directly from Iran’s territory, as a declaration of war that warrants a harsh response.
The U.S. and others, however, believe Israel should take the win, the fact that it was able to defeat this attack to the extent it did, and use diplomatic channels to further isolate Tehran on the world stage.
The Biden administration will sanction Tehran following the aerial assault, which officials hope can satiate Israel’s urge to respond.
“In the coming days, the United States will impose new sanctions targeting Iran, including its missile and drone program, as well as new sanctions against entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s Defense Ministry,” Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan announced on Tuesday. “We anticipate that our allies and partners will soon be following with their own sanctions.”
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Israel and Iran have fought a covert war for decades, largely through Tehran’s proxies and Israel’s intelligence community, but this weekend’s attack could mark a turning point where the two countries officially go to war.
Raisi’s remarks raise the possibility that an Israeli attack could further lead both countries and the region itself down a war path, which most parties in and near the region are hoping to avoid.