Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israel’s enemies, including Iran, that it would not hesitate to strike if provoked, as the international community sent out warning signals of a pending Iranian attack against the Jewish state.
“Whoever harms us, we will harm them,” Netanyahu said during a visit to the Tel Now Air Base to speak with the 133rd Squadron, which operates F-15 fighter jets.
“We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively,” he stated.
Netanyahu added that Israel faced “challenging times,” including a war against Hamas in Gaza and efforts to negotiate a deal for the return of the remaining 133 hostages held there.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz was more blunt in a post on X Wednesday, when he stated that “If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will respond and attack Iran.”
Iran has vowed revenge for the April 1 airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus that killed a top Iranian general and six other Iranian military officers, escalating tensions in a region already shaken by the Gaza war.
Israel has not claimed responsibility for the April 1 attack, for which Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday Israel “must be punished and it shall be,” adding that it was tantamount to an attack on Iranian soil.
US President Joe Biden publicly reminded Iran during remarks at the White House on Wednesday that America’s commitment to Israel’s security was “ironclad.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant overnight, in which he stressed that the “US will stand with Israel against any threats by Iran and its proxies,” according to the State Department.
The US also worked behind the scenes to tone down rising tensions between the arch enemies, which was exacerbated by Israel’s military engagements over the last half-year with two Iranian proxy groups, Hamas in Gaza on its southern border and Hezbollah in Lebanon on its northern border.
Tehran has avoided direct confrontation with Israel or the United States while declaring support for its allies, including the Houthis, which have attacked cargo ships in the Red Sea to protest Israel’s military operation to destroy Hamas.
US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk called the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and Iraq to ask them to deliver a message to Iran that Tehran should de-escalate with Israel, which they did, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Iran’s foreign ministry said that on Wednesday, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Iraq spoke on the phone with Iran’s foreign minister and discussed regional tensions.
The White House declined to comment. McGurk’s calls were first reported by Axios.
Germany’s foreign minister Annalena Baerbock discussed the tense situation in the Middle East with her Iranian counterpart and urged all sides to act responsibly and exercise restraint, the foreign ministry in Berlin said on Thursday.
“No one can have an interest in a wider regional escalation,” the ministry posted on social media platform X.
Russia, which has good ties with Iran, urged countries in the Middle East to show restraint and warned against traveling to a region.
“Right now, it’s very important for everyone to maintain restraint so as not to lead to a complete destabilization of the situation in the region, which doesn’t exactly shine with stability and predictability,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said at a news briefing.
“We call on all countries in the region to exercise restraint,” he stated.
The tensions also impacted regional travel. Russia’s foreign ministry told citizens they should not travel to the Middle East, especially to Israel, Lebanon, and the Palestinian territories.
Lufthansa said on Wednesday it had stopped flights to Tehran and on Thursday extended the suspension until probably April 13.
Lufthansa and its subsidiary Austrian Airlines are the only two Western carriers flying into Tehran, which is mostly served by Turkish and Middle Eastern airlines.
Austrian Airlines, which is owned by Lufthansa and flies from Vienna to Tehran six times a week, said it was still planning to fly on Thursday but was adjusting timings to avoid crew having to disembark for an overnight layover.
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