Israel Confirmed Iran's Attack Retaliation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu/PHOTO via Instagram @b.netanyahu

JAKARTA - Israel will certainly retaliate against Iranian missile and drone attacks last weekend.

This was conveyed by Foreign Minister David Cameron during a visit to Israel, Wednesday, April 17.

"Obviously Israel took the decision to act," Cameron told reporters at the start of his visit to Jerusalem. "We hope they do this in the least way possible to increase tensions," he added.

Big countries seek to prevent a broader outbreak of conflict in the Middle East following Iran's attack on Saturday, April 13 evening, involving hundreds of missiles and drones.

Iran launched the attack in response to alleged Israeli airstrikes against its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1, which killed two generals and several other Iranian officers.

More than six months after the war between Israel and Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas and has witnessed an increase in violence in the Middle East, diplomats are looking for ways to avoid direct fighting between Israel and Iran.

Iranian missiles and drones launched on Saturday were mostly shot down by Israel and its allies, and did not cause any casualties and only minor damage.

But Israel says they have to retaliate. Iran says it thinks the matter is over for now, but will retaliate again if Israel does so.

Washington and other Western countries hope new economic sanctions against Iran will help persuade Israel to limit its scope of retaliation.

Cameron said Britain wanted to see coordinated sanctions against Iran by major democracies Group of Seven (G7), which meet this week in Italy.

"They need to be given a clear and firm message by the G7," he said.