Unlock the Publisher’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, editor of the FT, selects her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
US President Joe Biden urged Israel to show restraint following Iran’s drone and missile attack, as Washington seeks to ease tensions in the Middle East and reduce the risk of a full-blown regional war.
Israel’s war cabinet met on Sunday to assess the Jewish state’s response to the Iranian attack, but has not yet made a decision on what action to take, an Israeli cabinet member said.
The person added that it is clear that Israel will have to respond, “but it is not clear when and how big it will be.”
Iran launched the attack, the first of its kind from its territory against Israel, in retaliation for a suspected Israeli attack on its consular building in Damascus this month that killed several Iranian commanders.
Saturday night’s attack came amid a wave of hostility triggered by the October 7 Hamas attack and Israel’s retaliatory response against the Palestinian militant group in Gaza.
Iran’s attack has intensified concerns that it could provoke an escalating response from Israel and push the Middle East into a full-blown conflict.
Israel is discussing its options with all its major partners, particularly the Biden administration, but the decision will ultimately rest with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, the government insider said.
War Cabinet member Benny Gantz said last Sunday that Israel would respond “in a way and at a time that suits us.”
Biden had advised Israel to take a measured approach. “The president was clear. We don’t want to see this escalation,” John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council, said on NBC’s Meet the Press. “We are not seeking a broader war with Iran.”
In a phone call with Netanyahu after the Iranian attack, Biden told his Israeli counterpart that Israel was “way ahead” of the Islamic republic, a senior US official said. Biden said Israel has “clearly demonstrated its military superiority,” the official added.
Israeli officials said Iran fired more than 300 projectiles, including 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles and 120 ballistic missiles at Israel starting late Saturday night and continuing over the course of several hours.
Iranian-backed militants in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen have also fired rockets, drones and missiles at Israel.
Daniel Hagari, an Israeli army spokesman, said 99 percent of the barrage had been intercepted. A girl was seriously injured by shrapnel in the south of the country and an air base suffered minor damage, but there were no other reports of serious impacts, he added.
Hardliners in Netanyahu’s government called for decisive action. “We need a devastating attack,” Itamar Ben-Gvir, the ultranationalist minister of national security, wrote on existential danger.”
General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the Iranian military, said that by targeting the Iranian consulate in Damascus in an attack on April 1, Israel had “crossed a red line that was unbearable.”
“The mission is accomplished and the operation is over and we have no intention of going any further,” Bagheri said, but if Israel decides to “commit any act against us, whether on our territory or in our compounds in Syria and elsewhere, next time the operation will be larger”.
Charles Michel, president of the EU Council, said Sunday’s crisis meeting of G7 leaders had “unanimously condemned Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel.”
“All parties must show moderation. We will continue all our efforts to work towards reducing tension,” he added.
Michel also said that “ending the crisis in Gaza as soon as possible, particularly through an immediate ceasefire, will make a difference.”
G7 leaders discussed the possibility of imposing further sanctions on Iran in response to the attack, but no consensus was found on how they should be applied, a person briefed on the discussions said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who also attended the G7 meeting, said sanctions were being discussed against Iran targeting its drone and missile programs.
The G7 leaders agreed that the attacks represented a “major victory for Israel” as almost all shells were knocked down and the country received support and solidarity from all its Western allies and some Middle Eastern powers.
At Israel’s request, the UN Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Sunday to discuss the attack.
