Jerusalem, Apr 17 (EFE).- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel reserved the right to self-defense as fears grow that Israel may respond to Iran’s weekend attack, potentially escalating the conflict in the Middle East.
“Netanyahu reiterated that Israel would maintain its right to self-defense,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a press statement after he met with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
The global security concerns have prompted Western leaders to visit the volatile region, with Cameron saying that it was clear that Israelis were deciding to respond to the drone and missile attack by Iran.
“(We) have made our views clear about what should happen next, but it is clear the Israelis are making a decision to act,” Cameron told reporters in Jerusalem.
“We hope they do so in a way that does as little to escalate this as possible. And in a way that, as I said yesterday, is smart as well as tough,” he said.
Cameron and Baerbock also met Israeli President Isaac Herzog during their solidarity visit to Israel in the aftermath of Iran’s attack.
“Thank you for both the UK and Germany’s strong stand alongside Israel in the face of the reprehensible attack by Iran,” Herzog said in a statement.
The Israeli president said the world “must work decisively and defiantly against the threat posed by the Iranian regime, which is seeking to undermine the stability of the whole region.”
He said Israel was “unequivocal in its commitment” to defending the people of the country.
“The immediate return home of all the hostages held in captivity by Hamas in Gaza remains for us, and the international community, the top priority,” he said.
The president said the Israeli government continued “to advance and dramatically upgrade humanitarian aid to the civilian population.”
Cameron said the situation in the region was “very concerning” and it was right to show solidarity with Israel.
“But the real need,” Cameron said, “Is to refocus back on Hamas, back on the hostages, back on getting the aid in, back on getting a pause in the conflict in Gaza.”
On Monday, Cameron emphasized the importance of Israel not “escalating” tension in the Middle East and urged them to think “both with their head and their heart.”
Cameron is to meet with leaders of the Palestinian Authority during his visit to the Middle East.
Baerbock’s visit was also aimed at de-escalation and the use of diplomatic channels.
She said the “unprecedented” attack by the Iranian regime had “placed the entire region on the brink,” showing Iran was not interested in peace in the region.
With the help of allied countries, Israel intercepted more than 300 drones and missiles launched from Iran in retaliation for the killing of seven members of the Revolutionary Guard, three of them generals, in a bombing of the Iranian consulate in Syria on Apr 1. EFE
pms-jfu/ssk
