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Written by James Mackenzie
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s European allies on Monday called for restraint from Iran’s missile and drone attacks over the weekend and called on Israeli leaders to stay off the “edge” of escalating tensions in the Middle East.
prime minister of israel Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuThe war cabinet, which has the power to decide the country’s response, was scheduled to convene on Monday afternoon, government officials said.
Israeli officials said the war cabinet, which also met Sunday, supported retaliation but disagreed on the timing and scale of such a response.
With the risk of war breaking out between Israel and Iran and tensions over the war in Gaza rising, President Joe Biden has told Prime Minister Netanyahu that the United States will not join Israel’s counterattack against Iran. US officials said.
Foreign policy chiefs from Britain, France, Germany and the European Union joined the United States and UN Secretary-General António Guterres in calling for restraint.
“We are on the edge of a precipice and we have to move away from it,” EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell told Spanish radio station Onda Cerro. “You have to hit the brakes and reverse gear.”
French President Emmanuel Macron urged Israel to set its sights on isolating Iran rather than escalating the situation. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned Iran against further attacks and said Israel must also help ease tensions.
Russia has refrained from publicly criticizing its ally Iran over the attack, but on Monday expressed concern about the risk of escalation and called for restraint.
“Further escalation is not in anyone’s interest,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
On April 1, Iran launched a suspected Israeli airstrike on its embassy compound in Syria, killing seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards personnel, including two senior commanders.
The clashes follow months of clashes between Israel and Iran’s regional allies that began with the Gaza war, which escalated to include battles with Iran-aligned groups in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq.
The weekend attack involved more than 300 missiles and drones and caused little damage to Israel. Most were shot down by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, with assistance from the United States, Britain, France, and Jordan.
The only serious injury reported in Israel was a 7-year-old child injured by shrapnel.
uncertainty
Asian stocks fell and gold prices rose on Monday as risk sentiment took a hit, while oil prices fell and the Israeli shekel strengthened against the dollar.
Warren Patterson, head of product strategy at ING, said: “The attack was largely priced in days in advance, and the fact that the damage was limited and there was no loss of life suggests that Israel’s response will be more cautious.” This means that there is a possibility that
“But clearly there is still a lot of uncertainty and it all depends on how Israel responds.”
The Iranian attack also caused travel disruption, with at least a dozen airlines canceling or rerouting flights, and European aviation regulators warning airlines in Israeli and Iranian airspace. We reaffirmed this recommendation.
Two senior Israeli ministers suggested that retaliation was not imminent and that Israel would not act alone.
“We will build a regional coalition and impose a price on Iran in the right way and at the right time,” centrist Minister Benny Gantz said.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel has an opportunity to form a strategic alliance “against this grave threat posed by Iran.”
Israel remained on high alert, but authorities lifted emergency measures including a ban on some school activities and restrictions on large gatherings.
Iranian military chief of staff Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri warned Israel not to retaliate, telling Washington that supporting Israel could result in attacks on U.S. military bases.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said his government had told the United States that the attack on Israel would be limited and for self-defense purposes, and that its regional neighbors were informed 72 hours in advance of the planned attack. He said that he had done so.
However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Qanani said on Monday that there were no pre-arranged agreements with any country before the weekend attacks. U.S. officials said the Iranian government had not warned the U.S. government.
(Reporting by James McKenzie and Maayan Rubel in Jerusalem, Parisa Hafezi in Dubai, Jeff Mason and Daphne Psaredakis in Washington, Suleiman Al Khalidi in Amman, and Nidal Al Mughrabi and Adam Makary in Cairo; writing) : Timothy Heritage; Edited by: Mark Heinrich)
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