Lord Cameron begs Israel to ‘take the win’ and not escalate clashes with Iran as UK joins frantic diplomatic efforts to stop ‘WW3’… with Rishi Sunak due to address MPs later
Lord Cameron today pleaded with Israel not to escalate clashes with Iran amid frantic efforts to defuse tensions.
The secretary of state echoed Joe Biden’s suggestion that Benjamin Netanyahu should “take the win” as he toured the broadcast studios.
He stressed that the world must continue to focus on Hamas and the ongoing standoff over the hostages of the October 7 terrorist attacks.
Rishi Sunak will make a statement to MPs this afternoon in which Israel threatens airstrikes in retaliation for a 350-missile blitz this weekend.
The US, Britain and other allies hope to defuse tension in the situation, which comes against the backdrop of the bitter conflict in Gaza. There are fears that violence could spread across the Middle East, potentially affecting global powers.
Lord Cameron (right) today pleaded with Israel not to escalate confrontations with Iran amid frantic efforts to defuse tensions. Rishi Sunak (left) will make a statement to MPs later
Israel’s Iron Dome responds to the interception of Iran’s attack this weekend
Lord Cameron said: ‘Israel has every right to respond as an independent sovereign country when attacked in this way.’
“But I think we really want to avoid escalation and say to our friends in Israel that it is a time to think with your head as well as your heart,” he told Sky News.
“And in many ways this is a double defeat for Iran. Not only was their attack a near-total failure, but the rest of the world can now see the malign influence they have in the region and understand their true nature.
“And so I think it’s right that Israel is not escalating, but it is clear that it is a sovereign, independent country and they will make their own decisions.”
The foreign minister said: “Our hope is that there will be no retaliatory response, and that instead the world’s attention should shift to Hamas.
“They’re still holding those hostages. They have been offered a deal that prisoners can be released from Israeli prisons in exchange for some of those hostages, and there will be a lull in the fighting. That’s what needs to happen next and I hope we can focus on that.”
IDF spokesman Peter Lerner said this morning that there would be retaliation from Israel, stating that this could involve “an attack or no attack.”
He explained that the military leadership has presented “a wide range of options” and that there are “many different scenarios” on the table.
The Israeli government will ‘decide on the steps forward’ as early as today.
Israel says it has intercepted 99 percent of the hundreds of missiles and drones fired by Iran, with help from the US, UK and France.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) during a war cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv’s Kirya
Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu late Saturday evening
“Just because we were successful in the interception, we should not underestimate what Iran did,” Lerner said. “We cannot take that lightly.”
Asked whether Britain would impose more sanctions on Tehran, as Labor has requested, Lord Cameron told BBC Breakfast: ‘Absolutely. We already have 400 sanctions against Iran. At the end of last year we introduced a completely new sanctions regime, which is proving to be very effective.
“We have sanctioned the IRGC – the Iranian Revolutionary Guard – in its entirety. And we will continue to look at what further steps we can take.
‘I think there is an opportunity, and I am sure the Prime Minister will talk about this in his statement to the House of Commons, to try to work very closely with our partners in the G7. All these things are more effective when countries can act together.
‘I think in many ways Britain has been on a knife edge, has been the most eager to put sanctions and pressure and turn up the heat, realizing… that Iran is the bad actor in the region, but It’s best if we can do these things together.’