Israel’s European allies yesterday urged the country to show restraint in the face of Iran’s attack and called on Israeli leaders to step back from the “edge of the abyss” in the face of escalating tensions in the Middle East without precedent.
Faced with the danger of open war between Israel and Iran, and tension over the Gaza invasion, US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US would not participate in any Hebrew counteroffensive against Iran, according to US officials. The UK, France, Germany and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell joined Washington and UN Secretary-General António Guterres in calling for restraint.
“We are at the edge of the abyss and we have to get away from it”, Borrell said yesterday. “We have to hit the brakes and reverse,” he added. French President Emmanuel Macron urged Israel to focus on isolating Iran instead of escalating the situation. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned Iran against further attacks and said Israel must also contribute to reducing tensions.
For its part, Russia refrained from publicly criticizing its ally, Iran, but yesterday expressed concern about the risk of an escalation and also called for moderation. “A greater escalation does not benefit anyone,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Awaiting a possible Israeli response, international uncertainty is growing. Asian stocks fell and gold prices rose yesterday on risk-on sentiment, but oil prices fell and the Israeli shekel rose against the dollar. “Clearly, there is still a lot of uncertainty and it all depends on how Israel responds now,” said Warren Patterson, head of commodity strategy at ING.
Iran’s attack also caused travel disruptions, with at least a dozen airlines canceling or diverting flights, and the European aviation regulator reiterated advice to airlines to exercise caution in Israeli airspace and iranian
“Israel cannot allow such a large-scale attack against Israel without any kind of response, whether small or large,” a source in Netanyahu’s office told the US network NBC yesterday. “Israel will consult with all its partners, but ultimately it is Israel’s decision what the response will be,” added the Israeli source.
Iran’s army chief of staff, Major General Muhammad Bagheri, warned Israel against retaliating and threatened Washington that US bases could be attacked if it helps Israel respond.
