The Prime Minister of Israel, Beniamin Netanyahu, pointed out at the beginning of a meeting of his Government that no one is going to impose on him what decision he must make regarding retaliation against Iran.
“I thank our friends for their support in the defense of Israel and for all their advice. But I want to be clear: we will make our own decisions.” Netanyahu made this statement after receiving in his Jerusalem office the foreign ministers of Great Britain and Germany, David Cameron and Annalena Baerbock, who urged him to show restraint, warning that any direct hostility with Iran could lead the Middle East into a spiral of total war.
David Cameron told reporters in Israel that while it was clear there would be retaliation against Tehran, he hoped it would be carried out "in a smart and tough way, and also do as little as possible to escalate this conflict." Annalena Baerbock called on all parties, Israel and Iran, to show “restraint.” “I'm not talking about giving in, I'm talking about intelligent restraint.”
As speculation raged about the scope of an attack – more likely directly on Iran than against its allies in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon or Yemen – Israeli drones bombed yesterday in the Lebanese Bekaa Valley following a Hizbullah attack that injured 14 soldiers in response to the death, the day before, of three of their militiamen. In Gaza, the Israeli army withdrew from Beit Hanun, in the north of the strip, after a 36-hour offensive.
