Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said yesterday that the Middle East cannot afford further conflict, amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel.
Speaking at a Press conference with his Pakistani counterpart during a visit to Islamabad, Prince Faisal urged all parties to prioritise de-escalation.
Iran on Saturday launched hundreds of drones and missiles, including from its own territory, targeting Israel in retaliation for a deadly strike on Iran’s consulate in Damascus on April 1.
The Israeli military said it intercepted 99 per cent of the aerial threats, aided by the United States and other allies. It said the overnight attack caused only minor damage.
Israel has said it will respond to the Iranian attack.
Following Iran’s attack on Israel, Saudi Arabia called on all parties to exercise the ‘utmost levels’ of restraint and spare the region and its people the dangers of wars.
Addressing the war in Gaza, Prince Faisal said international efforts aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Gaza have been wholly insufficient.
He emphasised the need for intensified efforts to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and stressed the urgency of implementing an immediate ceasefire.
Israel’s war cabinet was set to meet again to decide on a response to the Iranian attack.
Military chief of staff Herzi Halevi had promised that Saturday night’s launch of more than 300 missiles, cruise missiles and drones from Iran at Israeli territory “will be met with a response”, but gave no details.
The attack has increased fears that violence rooted in the Gaza war is spreading, with the risk of open war between long-time foes Iran and Israel.
President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the weekend that the US, Israel’s main protector, would not participate in an Israeli counter-strike.
Together with European allies, Washington instead strove yesterday to toughen economic and political sanctions against Iran in an attempt to dissuade Israel from violent retaliation.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he was ‘leading a diplomatic attack’, writing to 32 countries to ask them to place sanctions on Iran’s missile programme and follow Washington in proscribing its dominant military force, the Revolutionary Guard Corps, as a terrorist group.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the US would use sanctions, and work with allies, to keep disrupting Iran’s ‘malign and destabilising activity’.
She told a news conference in Washington that all options to disrupt Iran’s ‘terrorist financing’ were on the table, and that she expected further sanctions against Iran to be announced in coming days.
European Union foreign ministers have scheduled a video meeting on the Middle East.
Last autumn, Germany campaigned with France and other EU partners to extend the bloc’s existing sanctions regime against Iran that targets drone production.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that several EU members had now promised to look again at extending those sanctions, announcing that she would head to Israel to discuss how to prevent an escalation.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday the Group of Seven major democracies was working on a package of measures against Iran; Italy, which has the G7 presidency, suggested any new sanctions would target individuals.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani had told state TV earlier that Tehran’s response to any Israeli counterattack would come in “a matter of seconds, as Iran will not wait for another 12 days to respond”.