The Israeli war cabinet apparently failed to reach an agreement during discussions on a possible response to the Iranian attack. UN Secretary General Guterres urged both sides in the Security Council to exercise maximum restraint.
The Israeli war cabinet appears to have failed to reach any conclusion in discussions about a possible response to the Iranian attack. According to informed media reports, no decisions were made.
Military spokesman Daniel Hagari did not want to comment directly when asked about plans for a possible retaliation. “We are at a high level of readiness on all fronts,” he said.
Benny Gantz, a member of the war cabinet and Israel’s former defense minister, had previously announced retaliation – but left the timing open. “We will form a regional coalition and hold Iran accountable, at the right time and in the way that is right for us,” he said.
U.N-Secretary General appeals to both countries
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned urgently against an escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran at a meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East. “Neither the region nor the world can afford further war,” he said.
“The Middle East is on the brink. People in the region face the real threat of a devastating, all-out conflict.” It is now time to “defuse and de-escalate” the conflict, warned Guterres, who called for “maximum restraint” from all sides.
UN Secretary-General Guterres warned in the Security Council of further escalation.
In his speech, Guterres once again condemned the Iranian attacks on Israel and also the attack on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus. “It’s time to step back from the brink,” he said. “It is important to avoid any action that could lead to major military conflicts on multiple fronts in the Middle East.”
Iran fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel
On Sunday night, Iran directly attacked Israel from its territory for the first time in history. Tehran had described the drone and missile attacks as retaliation for an attack attributed to Israel on an Iranian consulate building in Damascus, in which two generals of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard were killed, among others, on April 1.
Israel said 99 percent of more than 300 drones, ballistic and cruise missiles launched by Iran had been intercepted.