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Israel’s muted response to Iranian attacks on Friday morning have raised UK hopes that a wider conflict in the region may be averted.
Downing Street refused to be drawn on reports that linked Israel with a series of air strikes on Iran on the cities of Isfahan and Tabriz but Rishi Sunak joined Western leaders in calling for restraint from both sides.
It came just days after Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel involving hundreds of drones and missiles.
Senior Whitehall sources told i that the attacks on Iran appeared to be “targeted strikes so far”, raising hopes that Israel had dialled down its retaliation and that a deeper conflict had been averted for now.
TheGgovernment source added that the UK, along with Western allies, was “calling for and working towards” calmer heads to prevail.
Speaking at an event in central London, the Prime Minister said it would not be right for him to speculate on the reports of the attacks, but said Israel “absolutely has the right to self defence”, while also warning the UK’s ally to avoid “significant escalation”.
Lord Cameron and fellow G7 foreign ministers also urged both sides to exercise restraint and warned Tehran could face new sanctions if it did not heed the calls.
Iran said it fired air defence systems early on Friday at an air base and nuclear site near the city of Isfahan to shoot down drones, which are suspected to be part of an Israeli operation days after it was targeted by a barrage of Iranian drones and missiles.
Tel Aviv has not commented publicly, but unnamed US officials said Israel carried out the air strikes, according to reports.
The Italian foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said Washington had informed the G7 meeting that Israel had given the US a “last minute warning” of the attacks on Iran but that “there was no sharing of the attack by the US — it was a mere information”.
The news came as Western leaders piled further pressure on both sides to show restraint in a bid to avoid a wider regional conflict.
In a joint communique, the G7 stated: “Israel and its people have our full solidarity and support and we reaffirm our commitment towards Israel’s security. Iran’s actions mark an unacceptable step towards the destabilisation of the region and a further escalation, which must be avoided.
“In light of reports of strikes on April 19, we urge all parties to work to prevent further escalation. The G7 will continue to work to this end.”
They also said: “We will hold the Iranian government accountable for its malicious and destabilising actions and we stand ready to adopt further sanctions or take other measures, now and in response to further destabilising initiatives.”
Tehran has sought to play down the attack and signalled it had no plans for retaliation.
In a press conference after the G7 meeting, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called for calm, adding: “We’re committed to Israel’s security. We’re also committed to de-escalating.”
“What the G7 is focused on, and it’s reflected in our statement and in our conversation, is our work to de-escalate tensions, to de-escalate from any potential conflict,” he said.
In a further development, both the US and EU issued sanctions on far-right Israelis, including Ben-Zion Gopstein, who is seen as the mentor to the country’s security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. It is unclear whether the UK would follow suit.
