Iran warns Israel, US against retaliation; world urges calm

Jerusalem/ Washington, April 14

Iran warned Israel and the US on Sunday of a much larger response if there is any retaliation for its mass drone and missile attack on Israeli territory overnight, as Israel said “the campaign is not over yet”.

The threat of open warfare erupting between the arch West Asia foes and dragging in the US has put the region on edge as Washington said America did not seek conflict with Iran but would not hesitate to protect its forces and Israel. Iran launched the attack over a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Syria on April 1 that killed top Revolutionary Guards commanders and followed months of clashes between Israel and Iran’s regional allies, triggered by the war in Gaza.

Palestinians hail attack

• Iran’s attack drew applause from many Palestinians in Gaza as rare payback for the Israeli offensive on their enclave.
• At the same time, many suspected that Tehran had staged the assault more for show than to inflict real damage.

However, the attack from hundreds of missiles and drones, mostly launched from inside Iran, caused only modest damage in Israel as most were shot down with the help of the US, Britain and Jordan.

Global powers Russia, China, France and Germany as well as Arab states Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates urged restraint.

US President Joe Biden has told Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that the US would not participate in any Israeli counter-offensive against Iran, a White House official said. In a statement issued late on Saturday following the attacks, Biden said he told Netanyahu that Israel had “demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks.”

John Kirby, the White House's top national security spokesperson, told ABC's “This Week” program that the US would continue to help Israel defend itself, but does not want war with Iran. Asked if the US would support retaliation from Israel in Iran, Kirby said that “our commitment is ironclad” to defending Israel and to “helping Israel defend itself.” UK PM Rishi Sunak said British military jets shot down drones launched by Iran on Israel. He called for “calm heads to prevail” to avoid an escalation of the conflict.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the “serious escalation” caused by Iranian attack on Israel, cautioning that neither the region nor the world could afford another war. Singapore too condemned the aerial attacks by Iran, saying it could exacerbate tensions and further destabilise an already tense region.

Meanwhile, Iran’s attack drew applause from many Palestinians in Gaza as rare payback for the Israeli offensive on their enclave, although some said they suspected Tehran had staged the assault more for show than to inflict real damage.

“For the first time, we saw some rockets that didn’t land in our areas,” said Abu Abdallah, a resident of Gaza.

Many in Gaza have felt abandoned by West Asia neighbours since Israel began an offensive that has killed more than 33,000 people in response to attacks on Israeli soil by Hamas, who killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostage on October 7.— Agencies

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