Benjamin Netanyahu’s curt reply to West on Iran: ‘Israel to make own…’
Iran-Israel conflict latest update: In a curt reply to Western countries pleading for restraint after Iran’s ‘drones and missiles’ attack last week, Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that his country will make its own decisions about how to defend itself.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) during a War Cabinet meeting at the Kirya in Tel Aviv.(AFP file photo)
On Wednesday, Netanyahu met British and German foreign ministers David Cameron and Annalena Baerbock, who visited Israel amid the western allies’ push to prevent the conflict from descending into a war.
HT launches Crick-it, a one stop destination to catch Cricket, anytime, anywhere. Explore now!
The Israel PM’s office thanked the two leaders for 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,” he added.
Last week, Iran filed a barrage of projectiles at Israel in retaliation to the former’s alleged attack at 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 in the attack and a military base suffered minor damages. However, Israel has said that it must retaliate to preserve the credibility of its deterrents.
The United States, which had warned Iran that it would help defend the country, has refused to participate in any offensive Israel action against Tehran. However, the US, European Union and G7 group of industrialised 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 “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. It warned that a war could prove to be devastating for the entire Middle East region.
Meanwhile, Israel said its fighter jets had struck Iran-backed Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure in eastern Lebanon.
With inputs from Reuters, AFP, AP
