World leaders urge calm after Israeli drone strike on Iran ratchets up tension

The leaders of different countries called for peace on Friday, as Israel carried out an early-morning mission with a drone over Iran. This action followed a series of retaliatory strikes that crossed a significant boundary, which had previously prevented a major conflict in the Middle East for many years.

On Friday, there was some hope that the alleged strike on an airbase close to Isfahan would not result in a larger retaliation from Iran. This was seen as crucial to prevent an escalation of violence between two countries, one with nuclear capabilities and the other with the potential to develop nuclear weapons promptly. However, these hopes were not certain, and the situation remained tense.

Later on Friday, Italy's foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, stated that during the G7 foreign ministers meeting held in Capri, the US informed them that they had received urgent information from Israel regarding a drone mission in Iran. In addition, it was reported by Israel's N12 news channel that targets were also hit in Iraq and Syria, with explosions occurring in the aforementioned countries.

The foreign minister of Iran, Hossein Amirabdollahian stated that small drones were used in the operation on Isfahan, and it didn't lead to harm or destruction.

During a visit to the UN in New York, Iranian official Amirabdollahian spoke to envoys from Muslim nations about the recent incident involving mini-drones. He stated that media supporters of the Zionist regime had attempted to twist the situation to make it appear as a victory, despite their defeat. Additionally, he noted that the downed drones had not resulted in any harm or injuries. While Tehran has not yet decided on a plan for retaliation, they have indicated that they have no immediate intentions to take action.

Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, stated during the G7 meeting that they have made a vow to ensure the security of Israel. In addition, they have also pledged to reduce the level of tension in the current situation.

Blinken stated that even though there is conflict, the United States is still completely concentrated on the issue in Gaza. There have been over 34,000 Palestinian casualties during Israel's war with Hamas, and more than a million individuals have had to evacuate their homes.

Both the G7 and the European Commission urged for the de-escalation of the ongoing conflict. The United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres, also made a statement, stressing the need to halt the perilous retaliation in the Middle East.

Officials from the US and Europe expressed worry that the disregard for the unwritten rule against direct attacks between the two countries had put the area in a riskier state for the upcoming months and possibly years. This comes as Israel continues with its constant push in Gaza, making the situation of human suffering even worse. They are also considering an open war with Hezbollah, a group closely affiliated with Iran, in Lebanon.

Despite three drones being brought down inside Iran near an airbase near Isfahan, the Tehran government did not seem too concerned about the incident. Earlier, the foreign ministry had made it clear that any future Israeli attacks would result in a forceful and definite retaliation, but state media downplayed the event, perhaps leaving room for the option of not reacting.

Officials from the United States have confirmed that Israel undertook military action against Iran and informed Washington of this several hours beforehand. However, there is no available information regarding the specifics of this operation. As of Friday evening, it still remains uncertain whether only unmanned aerial vehicles were utilized, whether any armaments were successful in reaching their intended goals or were blocked, and the exact location in which the attack originated from.

As per Reuters, a person who has knowledge about western intelligence assessments has affirmed that the drones were launched within the borders of Iran, which corresponds to the initial statement given by Iran. This suggests that it could be either a group of Iranian special forces or a faction that is allied to Israel. It has previously been assumed that Israel was involved in earlier attacks that took place inside Iran, including the drone attack on a weapons facility in Isfahan in January 2023.

The government of Joe Biden had attempted to calm down a developing disagreement that kicked off when Israel bombed an Iranian consular building in Damascus. This bombing resulted in the death of a high-ranking member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and six other officers. Iran responded by attacking Israel on Sunday with approximately 300 missiles and drones. However, Israeli defense successfully intercepted nearly all of the attacks.

As stated in a news article from Reuters, President Biden was able to convince members of Israel's security cabinet to refrain from attacking Iranian land on Monday evening. Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, both of whom were previously in command of the armed forces, were allegedly advocating for a strong and immediate retaliation. However, following a discussion with Biden and in light of contrasting opinions from other ministers, they chose to delay their planned actions. This account reports that the operations against Iran were put off twice.

American authorities were notified by their Israeli colleagues shortly after Iran's missile and drone attack on Sunday, that an Israeli retaliation was unavoidable. However, the Israelis guaranteed the United States that their response would be intelligent and refrain from attacking Iran's nuclear facilities.

Last Friday, the IAEA verified that Iran's nuclear facilities were not harmed. The organization announced on a social media site that it is actively observing the state of affairs with great care, and advocated for all parties involved to show utmost restraint. It emphasized that nuclear facilities should never be the subject of military conflicts.

The strike that took place on Friday morning was a way of resisting the control of the US, regardless of how big or small it was. Netanyahu has always been a strong opponent of Iran and in the past has made it clear that Israel may take military action against them. His far-right coalition partners have also been pressuring him to take decisive action.

The retaliation done until now has been too small. Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is a far-right Israeli national security minister, criticized the reaction on X by saying that it was not strong enough.