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In a curt reply to Western countries pleading for restraint after Iran’s ‘drones and missiles’ attack last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that his country will make its own decisions about how to defend itself.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu met British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who visited Israel amid the Western allies’ push to prevent the conflict from descending into a war. The Israeli PM’s office thanked the two leaders for their support.
“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 added.
Last week, Iran fired a barrage of projectiles at Israel in retaliation for the latter’s alleged attack on its consulate in Damascus. Iran’s first-ever direct attack was thwarted by Israel and its Western allies, as over 99 percent of projectiles were shot down. Only one person was injured and a military base suffered minor damage. However, Israel has said it must retaliate to preserve the credibility of its deterrence.
The United States, which had warned Iran that it would help defend Israel, has refused to participate in any offensive Israeli action against Tehran. However, the US, European Union and G7 group of industrialized nations have announced plans to impose tighter economic sanctions on Iran.
The call for sanctions is being seen as the West’s attempt at mollifying Israel and dissuading it from retaliation. After the attack, Iran had said the matter was closed but it would retaliate if Israel took military action. On Wednesday, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi warned that the “tiniest invasion” by Israel would bring a “massive and harsh” response.
Earlier, Baerbock said escalation “would serve no one, not Israel’s security, not the many dozens of hostages still in the hands of Hamas, not the suffering population of Gaza, not the many people in Iran who are themselves suffering under the regime…”
Jordan, which had helped Israel ward off the attack, called for restraint, warning that a war could prove devastating for the entire Middle East region.
Meanwhile, Israel said its fighter jets had struck Iran-backed Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure in eastern Lebanon.
