Iran-Israel Tensions Highlights: Netanyahu's war cabinet aims to hurt Tehran but avoid all-out war, Israeli media reports

"Neither region nor world can afford more war": UN chief at emergency meeting on Iran strikes

"Provoking uncontrollable regional escalation": G7 countries condemn Iran's air raid on Israel

US President Joe Biden tweets, "Today, I convened my fellow G7 leaders to discuss Iran’s unprecedented attack against Israel. We will continue to work together to stabilize the situation in the region and avoid further escalation."

Biden says "US won't participate in any offensive action against Iran", tells Bibi further Israeli response "unnecessary"

Iran says it gave warning before attacking Israel. US says that's not true

Turkish, Jordanian and Iraqi officials said on Sunday that Iran gave wide notice days before its drone and missile attack on Israel, but U.S. officials said Tehran did not warn Washington and that it was aiming to cause significant damage.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Sunday that Iran gave neighbouring countries and Israel's ally the United States 72 hours' notice it would launch the strikes.

One senior official in U.S. President Joe Biden's administration denied Amirabdollahian's statement, saying Washington did have contact with Iran through Swiss intermediaries but did not get notice 72 hours in advance.

- Reuters

Iran-Israel trade barbs at UN Security Council meeting

"The mask is off. Iran, the number one global sponsor of terror, has exposed its true face as the destabilizer of the region and the world," Israel's UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan told the international body, according to news agency AFP.

"The Security Council... failed in its duty to maintain international peace and security," said Edran's Iranian counterpart Amir Saeid Iravani, further adding that this made the attack the country's "inherent right to self-defense."

Gold prices go up amid West Asia tensions

Gold consolidated gains on Monday, hovering near record-high levels hit in the previous session, as traders kept a close eye on developments surrounding the Middle East conflict, prompting safe-haven buying of assets such as bullion.

(Reuters)

Asian markets tumble as geopolitical tensions loom large

Asia's stocks fell on Monday as a result of Iran's weekend missile and drone assault against Israel, which further heightened tensions in the Middle East and stoked worries of a wider conflict in the unstable region, news agency AFP reported.

While Tehran said the bombing was in retaliation for a hit on its Syrian embassy, which Israel described as an escalation of hostilities, analysts said traders were hopeful that the issue could be handled, the agency further added.

Mossad shares a picture of an Iranian missile intercepted at Dead Sea

Have to stand by Israel's side to ensure it's protection, says French Prez Macron

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz asks Israel to de-escalate

"Everyone agrees that the way in which Israel managed to successfully repel this attack... is really impressive," said Scholz according to news agency AFP.

"That is a success that should not be given away, and therefore our advice is to contribute to de-escalation," the agency also reported him as saying.

MSC Aries vessel was seized due to 'maritime laws violation': Iran

The Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries vessel was seized on April 13 by Iran due to "maritime laws violations", Iran's Foreign Minister Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said on Monday, adding that there was no doubt the vessel was linked to Israel.

"Iran strives to create a safe shipping environment in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf. The vessel was diverted into Iran's territorial waters as a result of it violating maritime laws and not answering calls made by Iranian authorities," Kanaani said.

(Reuters)

Europe aviation agency urges caution in Israeli, Iranian airspace

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said it and the European Commission would "continue to closely monitor the situation to assess any potential safety risks for EU aircraft operators and be ready to act as appropriate".

EASA guidance that is already in place for airlines on Israel and Iran continues to apply, it said in an emailed note.

(Reuters)

David Cameron urges Israel not to retaliate against Iran

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron urged Israel not to retaliate after Iran's drone and missile attack, saying it should "think with head as well as heart" because Tehran's strike had been a near total failure.

"I think they're perfectly justified to think they should respond because they have been attacked, but we are urging them as friends to think with head as well as heart, to be smart as well as tough," Cameron told BBC TV.

"In many ways this has been a double defeat for Iran. The attack was an almost total failure, and they revealed to the world that they are the malign influence in the region prepared to do this. So our hope is that there won't be a retaliatory response," he told Sky News. (Reuters)

No pre-arranged agreement was made with any country prior to Iran's retaliatory attack against Israel, Tehran says

- Reuters

Israel war cabinet to reconvene at 1100 GMT in Iran standoff, source says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will at 2 p.m. (1100 GMT) on Monday reconvene his war cabinet, the forum empowered by other ministers to decide on any action in response to Iran's weekend drone and missile attack, a government source said.The war cabinet, comprising Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, former defence minister Benny Gantz and several observers, previously met on Sunday night, the source said. (Reuters)

Europe joins US in urging restraint by Israel after Iranian attack

Israel's European allies urged it on Monday to show restraint over Iran's weekend missile and drone attack, calling on Israeli leaders to step away from "the edge of the cliff" of escalation in the Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet, which is empowered to decide on the country's response, was set to convene on Monday afternoon, a government source said.

Israeli officials said the war cabinet, which also met on Sunday, favoured retaliation but was divided over the timing and scale of any such response.

With the danger of open warfare erupting between Israel and Iran, and tension high over the war in Gaza, President Joe Biden has told Netanyahu the United States will not participate in any Israeli counter-offensive against Iran, U.S. officials said.

Britain, France, Germany and the European Union's foreign policy chief all joined Washington and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in calling for restraint.

"We're on the edge of the cliff and we have to move away from it," Josep Borrell, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, told Spanish radio station Onda Cero. "We have to step on the brakes and reverse gear."

French President Emmanuel Macron urged Israel to set its sight on isolating Iran rather than escalating the situation. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned Iran not to carry out more attacks and said Israel must also contribute to de-escalation.

Benjamin Netanyahu

Germany summons Iranian ambassador after attack on Israel

Germany summoned Iran's ambassador on Monday morning following Tehran's weekend missile and drone attack against Israel, according to a foreign ministry spokesperson in Berlin.

"The meeting is currently taking place," added the spokesperson.

Qatar Airways resumes scheduled services to Iran

Qatar Airways has resumed its scheduled services to Iran, the airline said on Monday in a post on social media platform X.

The airline has resumed its scheduled services to Iran, including 20 weekly flights to four gateways - Tehran, Mashhad, Shiraz and Isfahan, it said.

UK dismisses Iran's assertion it gave warning before attacking Israel

Britain rejects an assertion by Iran that it provided advance notice before attacking Israel, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Sunday that Iran gave neighbouring countries and Israel's ally the United States 72 hours' notice it would launch the strikes.

"I would reject that chracterisation," Sunak's spokesman told reporters. "And more broadly we condemn in the strongest possible terms their direct attack against Israel."

Germany's Chancellor Scholz says Israeli ability to 'successfully' repel Iranian attack is 'really impressive'

Via The Spectator Index

Delhi has asked Iran & Israel 'to calm down,' Jaishankar says

India is very concerned over escalating hostilities between Iran and Israel and New Delhi has told the countries to "calm down," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday, amid spiralling tension in the Middle East.

"We have been telling them not to allow this (the situation) to escalate and that this is a very crucial region for the global economy," he told reporters.

Jaishankar emphasised that the stability of the Middle East region was essential because about one crore Indian citizens live there and said, "a large part of our shipping passes through this region and also, oil comes from there."

"This is an enormously sensitive region. So we are very concerned when there is this kind of escalation and hostilities. So our effort has been to tell both of them to calm down. So yesterday, I made a phone call to both, not only Iran (Foreign Minister) Hossein Amir-Abdollahian but also I called up my Israeli counterpart (Israel Katz)," Jaishankar said.

Israeli envoy expects India play role in bringing stability to West Asia

Israel is "strong and resilient" and, if needed, it will "confront Iran" after the recent attack, the Israeli envoy here asserted on Monday and said India should play a role in bringing stability in the West Asia region.

In an interview with PTI at the Israeli Embassy, the country's ambassador to India Naor Gilon said that Israeli defence forces with the support of the US and "other friends in the region" were able to "intercept 99 per cent" of the UAVs and missiles fired by Iranians.

However, there was "minor damage" suffered at Nevatim air base in the attack late Saturday, he said.

With Iran's attack on Israel triggering the spectre of a wider conflict in West Asia, India on Sunday said it is seriously concerned over the escalating hostilities between the two sides and called for an immediate halt to violence and return to the path of diplomacy.

Italy open to new G7 sanctions on Israel's enemies, foreign minister says

Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven major democracies (G7), is open to new sanctions against individuals engaged against Israel following the Iranian drone and missile attack, its foreign minister said on Monday.

Iran launched explosive drones and fired missiles at Israel late on Saturday in retaliation for an attack on its embassy compound in Damascus, fuelling fears of a wider regional conflict bursting out of the Israel-Hamas war.

"If we need to have more sanctions for people clearly engaged against Israel, supporting for example terrorism, supporting Hamas, it is possible to do it. But we need to be very serious and to work all together," Antonio Tajani told Reuters.

Biden to meet Iraqi PM

US President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with Iraq's Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani at the White House on Monday against the backdrop of heightened tensions across the Middle East following Iran's recent attack on Israel.

Sudani's visit to Washington, his first since assuming office in October 2022, was initially intended to address the presence of US troops in Iraq as part of an anti-jihadist coalition. However, given the recent significant escalation in the region following Iran's extensive missile and drone strike on Israel last Saturday, the focus of the meeting will now shift towards addressing the volatile situation in the area.

Via AFP

Belgium summons Iranian ambassador to condemn attack on Israel

The Belgian foreign ministry said on Monday it had summoned The Iranian ambassador to condemn the Iranian attack on Israel.

"This attack endangers regional stability and the population, and takes us further away from peace. I call on all parties to exercise the greatest restraint", Belgian foreign minister Hadja Lahbib said in a statement.

France summons Iranian ambassador to condemn attack on Israel

The French foreign ministry said on Monday it had summoned the Iranian ambassador to condemn the Iranian attack on Israel.

"He was reminded, with the greatest firmness, of France's condemnation of the attack," the ministry said in a statement, adding that France was working with its partners to de-escalate the situation and calling on everyone to exercise restraint.

Netanyahu's war cabinet aims to hurt Tehran but avoid all-out war, Israeli media reports

Israel's war cabinet discussed a range of options at its meeting on Monday, with the intention of hurting Iran for its drone and missile attack on Israel but without causing an all-out war, Israel's Channel 12 news reported.

In an unsourced report, the broadcaster said Israel's intention was to embark on action coordinated with the United States, which has said it would not join Israel in any direct attack on Iran. 

Opinion | Putting US power behind Israel will keep Iran at bay

Until Iran’s barrage of missiles and drones against Israel, the two countries had avoided open military intrusions into each other’s territory. Tehran most often acted through proxies, and Jerusalem via bombing runs and unacknowledged assassinations in the region.

Iran’s unprecedented attack this weekend, which failed to kill a single Israeli, has perhaps now opened the clerical regime to a major reprisal. The White House clearly does not want Jerusalem to undertake such a response, fearing escalation that could bring the United States into a regional war.

But the chances are good that Israel will strike back to deter future direct attacks. And the best way for Washington to limit the expansion of this conflict is to signal clearly its intention to support an Israeli counterattack. It’s the recurring military paradox: To contain a war, a belligerent sometimes needs to threaten its expansion. Iran’s internal situation, its memory about past U.S. military action and a conspiratorial worldview all support this strategy.

(NYT)