Israel’s decisions will be made by Israel: Netanyahu

Last Updated on April 20, 2024 6:17 am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told British Foreign Minister Lord Cameron that Israel will decide how to respond to Iran’s attack. The government of Israel will do whatever is necessary to defend itself.

He said this in a meeting with the British Foreign Minister. Since Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone attacks on Israel, Netanyahu has been repeatedly talking about retaliating.

Cameron told reporters in Jerusalem after a meeting with Netanyahu that he had come to Israel “to show solidarity” after the tragic attack by Iran.

Lord Cameron said Israel’s response must be “smart” and limited. We expect whatever Israel does to be limited and targeted and as smart as possible. No one wants to see tension and that is what we have made clear in discussions with everyone in Israel.

He made the suggestion to Netanyahu during a visit to Israel aimed at helping to defuse fears of tensions in the region.

After the meeting, the Prime Minister of Israel said, “I want to make it clear – we will make our own decisions and the State of Israel will do whatever it takes to protect itself.”

Netanyahu’s comments will now reinforce the belief among the West that Israel is going to take action against Iran and also send a message to the West about the frequent calls for restraint. Israel is well aware of the concerns of Europe and the United States about the escalation of war in the region.

Western leaders, on the other hand, may take comfort in the fact that Israeli leaders want to use the diplomatic support they received after the attack, which the international community condemned and pledged new sanctions against Iran.

And Netanyahu may not want to lose that support by launching a full-scale war in the region with a retaliatory response—so likely.

Lord Cameron is one of several Western foreign ministers expected to visit Israel as part of diplomatic efforts to avert fears of an all-out war.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Bierbock also arrived in Jerusalem on Wednesday for talks.

Before meeting with Netanyahu, Lord Cameron held talks with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and the country’s Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz.

Earlier, the British Foreign Minister went to the occupied Palestinian territories and met the Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa.

Meanwhile, G-7 ministers are meeting in Italy where Lord Cameron is expected to push for a comprehensive set of sanctions against Iran.

Earlier, he blamed Iran for being “behind extremely harmful activities” in the Middle East and called on other countries to take meaningful steps to curb Iran’s influence in the region.

The United States and the European Union are considering further sanctions.

And Israel wants its allies to declare Iran’s most important military, political and economic force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as a terrorist organization.

After Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israeli territory last Saturday, the Israeli government has been talking about retaliating against Iran.

However, Israel said that with the help of the United Kingdom, the United States, France and Jordan, Israel’s air defense system shot down almost all of these drones and missiles.

Iran launched this attack on Israel in response to an attack on some of its military officers in Syria on April 1. Israel has not publicly acknowledged the attack but is widely believed to have carried out the attack.

Earlier on Tuesday evening, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Netanyahu and warned that heightened tensions would only deepen instability in the region. He said, now is the time to move towards peace.

Lord Cameron reiterated Sunak’s call during his visit and will press Israeli leaders to allow more humanitarian aid to Gaza. However, he is expected to follow a specific diplomatic path. However, it is believed that Cameron will not put any pressure on his ally Israel, which has been hit by an unprecedented attack on its soil.

That is why he will talk about the hostages held by Hamas and the importance of further sanctions on Iran.

Now his presence in Jerusalem is an expression of the country’s support and solidarity with Israel. But at the same time, it is also a warning to Israeli leaders about regional tensions – any kind of escalation could go against the world and their own interests.

‘Tel Aviv will be a war zone’

Meanwhile, according to a report by Zia Gol of BBC Persian Service, there is tension in Tehran after the attack on Israel.

The reason for concern is the reaction to a war in the midst of the country’s struggling economy. Many people in the country opposed the Islamic Revolution Guards attack on Israel.

Rights activists working inside and outside Iran have sent a letter to BBC Persian, criticizing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and calling for any further war to be ruled out.

Many Iranians feel that this situation of a direct Iran-Israel conflict rather than a proxy war does not reflect the views of the country’s common people. Meanwhile, the police presence on the streets of Tehran has been increased, and many believe this is done mainly to deal with any potential protests. Many of the country’s policymakers fear that going to war with Israel could trigger another 2022-style uprising.

According to the report, various types of graffiti are seen on the walls of different cities in Iran; Among them – hit the house of the supreme leader of Israel (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei).

Another graffiti read – Israel hurt them, they don’t dare to fight back. But the government also has billboards with its own message in various places, one of which reads – ‘Tel Aviv is our battlefield, not Tehran.’