G7 countries condemned Iran, supported Israel and called for de-escalation

The leaders of the world’s leading democratic countries, members of the Group of Seven (G7), categorically condemned Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel carried out on the night of April 14 using kamikaze drones and missiles. This is stated in the joint statementadopted following a video meeting of the leaders of the United States, Great Britain, France, Canada, Italy, Germany and Japan, held on Sunday evening.

The leaders accused Iran of taking a step toward destabilizing the entire region and “uncontrolled escalation.” The G7 called on Iran and pro-Iranian forces in the region to refrain from further attacks and indicated that it was ready to “respond to further destabilizing actions.” The statement also raised the possibility of new sanctions against Iran, particularly its missile and drone programs. An unnamed senior US official told the press that, among other things, the possibility of a number of countries recognizing the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, as required by Israel, was also discussed.

The G7 also expressed solidarity with Israel and stated that it has the right to security. The statement also spoke of the need to stabilize the situation and prevent further escalation. Thus, the G7 countries, at least publicly, did not support a possible Israeli retaliatory strike against Iran. Earlier, White House representatives said that the United States does not want further escalation. President Joe Biden has made it clear that the United States will not be involved in any strikes against targets in Iran, according to media reports.

The Israeli military cabinet discussed possible retaliatory measures late Sunday. As reported by CNN and other Western media, citing Israeli sources, the decision on what the response will be has not yet been made; there are disagreements in the cabinet not on the issue of its necessity, but on what it should be. The New York Times, also citing sources, claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abandoned the idea of ​​an immediate retaliatory strike on Iran after a conversation with Biden.

In addition to Israel’s air defense, its allies, including the United States and Great Britain, also participated in repelling the Iranian attack. This made it possible for Israeli representatives to talk about the formation of a “coalition” in the region opposing Iran. This formulation was used in particular by the representative of the Israeli Defense Forces, Daniel Hagari.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who condemned the strike on Israel, in turn, in an evening televised address noticed on the effective operation of air defense in repelling an Iranian strike and compared the situation with the war in Ukraine, during which Russian troops also carry out attacks using drones and missiles. He again called on Western countries to supply Ukraine with a sufficient number of air defense systems, which would ensure protection.

• Israel Defense Forces reported, that 99% of all missiles and drones launched by Iran – more than three hundred in total – were shot down, most of them outside Israeli territory. The defense included air defense forces, including the Iron Dome and David’s Sling systems, as well as Israeli army fighters and US and British warships. The Jordanian armed forces also joined the defense, through whose airspace missiles and drones flew towards Israel. Israel said there was minor damage inflicted one military base in the Negev desert. There were no casualties, several people were injured.
• Iran says the strike was in response to a suspected Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, and claims that it has achieved the objectives of the operation and is not seeking to further escalate the conflict, but is ready to launch new, more powerful strikes in the event of Israeli strikes on Iranian territory .