The US, UK and France have called for restraint and to avoid further escalation between Israel and Iran. This happened after Israel carried out an airstrike on Iran on October 26, which killed two soldiers.
"We urge Iran to end its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of hostilities can end without further escalation," US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savet said.
According to Savet, the attack was in line with Israel's right to self-defense after Tehran carried out a massive air attack against Israel on October 1, for the second time in 2024.
"Their response was an exercise in self-defense and specifically avoided populated areas and focused solely on military targets, unlike Iran's attack on Israel, which targeted Israel's most populous city," he added.
Stressing that the US was not involved in the operation, he stated that "our goal is to accelerate diplomacy and de-escalate tensions in the Middle East region."
"President Joe Biden and his national security team have been working with the Israelis in recent weeks to encourage Israel to conduct a targeted and proportionate response with a low risk of civilian harm," a senior Biden administration official said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also urged Tehran not to retaliate.
"On the issue of strikes, I think we need to be really clear that Israel has a right to defend itself, but we are calling and have called on all countries to exercise restraint, and so I am very clear today that Iran should not be held accountable on that," Starmer said in Samoa, where he was attending a Commonwealth summit.
"We will continue to work with our allies to de-escalate the situation throughout the region. And those are really important messages about de-escalation that at this point in time I think it's very important for everyone to take heed," added the British prime minister.
On the other hand, France called for restraint towards Israel.
The French foreign ministry urged Israel to "refrain from any escalation or action that could worsen the context of extreme tension in the region." | BGNES
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