Global Powers Express Concern Over Rising Tensions Between Iran and Israel

Hours after the Israeli army announced that it had targeted Iranian positions in Syria in response to rocket fire from Iranian forces towards the Golan Heights, several Western countries emphasized Israel's "right to defend itself" and called for a de-escalation of tensions in the region. At the same time, the White House spokesperson stated that the rocket attack on Israel was a sign that the U.S. decision to withdraw from the JCPOA was correct. The Israeli army announced on Thursday morning, May 20, that in response to rocket fire from the "Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps" towards Israeli defensive positions in the Golan Heights, Israeli forces "targeted almost all Iranian positions in Syrian territory." Iranian officials have not yet reacted to the developments of Wednesday night, but media close to security sources in Iran attributed the "rocket launch" towards the Golan to Syrian forces and reported their "success." German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Thursday that "the escalation of hostilities between Iran and Israel in the Middle East" is a matter of "war and peace." Just minutes before Merkel's remarks, the German Foreign Ministry accused Iran of "provocative" actions and called for a reduction of tensions in the region. The German Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated, "Iran's attacks on Israel are highly provocative, and we strongly condemn them." The German Foreign Ministry also emphasized Israel's "right to defend itself" and called for preventing further escalation. Britain condemned "Iran's attacks on Israel" and urged Russia to use its influence in Syria to prevent possible future attacks. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Theresa May stated on Thursday that it is Israel's right to defend itself, saying, "We condemn Iran's attack on Israel." The spokesperson urged Iran not to launch another attack and called on other parties to maintain calm. French President Emmanuel Macron also called for "de-escalation" between Iran and Israel. According to a statement from the Élysée Palace released on Thursday morning, Macron will discuss the latest developments in the region with Angela Merkel. U.S. White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders told Fox News that the attack on Israel is "another indication that the Iranian regime cannot be trusted and clearly shows that President Trump made the right decision to withdraw from the agreement with Iran." Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also expressed concern over the rising tensions between Iran and Israel and called for dialogue to reduce tensions between the two sides. In a meeting with his German counterpart, Heiko Maas, Lavrov stated, "Regarding concerns about the increasing tensions between Israel and Iran, we believe this situation is very concerning." The Russian Foreign Minister added, "We have repeatedly emphasized the need to avoid any mutual provocations in meetings with the leaders of Iran and Israel, including during President Vladimir Putin's meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu." According to Lavrov, both Iran and Israel have emphasized their determination to avoid such incidents. On the other hand, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, called on Iran and Israel to show restraint and resolve their issues only through diplomatic means. According to the Israeli Defense Minister and the Israeli army spokesperson, none of the twenty rockets fired towards the Golan hit their target, with sixteen rockets landing in Syrian territory before reaching their target, and four rockets being intercepted and destroyed by Israel's defense system. Israel stated that "almost all" Iranian positions in Syria were targeted in its retaliatory attack. However, Russia claims that Syrian forces managed to intercept about half of the Israeli missiles. According to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry released on Thursday morning, Syrian military forces were able to intercept and destroy about half of the 70 Israeli missiles fired towards targets in Syrian territory during the attacks on Wednesday night. The Russian Defense Ministry also claimed that during these attacks, 28 Israeli F-15 and F-16 fighter jets fired about 60 missiles, and another 10 missiles were surface-to-surface. Israel stated that it had informed Russia in advance about the attacks on Iranian positions in Syria.