From the Liveblog of
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Germany’s foreign minster: G7 must respond to Iran’s missile and drone attack on Israel
The G7 must respond to Iran’s attack on Israel, Germany’s foreign minister says, adding that measures were being discussed with her counterparts at a meeting in Italy.
“We are also discussing further measures here at the G7, because of course there must be a response to this unprecedented incident,” Annalena Baerbock tells reporters on the island of Capri.
She adds, however, that “there must be no further escalation in the region, that would be fatal for its people.”
The G7 nations — France, Germany, Italy, the UK, the United States, Canada and Japan — are expected to call for individual sanctions against people implicated in Iran’s missile supply chain, according to an Italian diplomatic source.
European Union leaders agreed Wednesday to impose new sanctions on Iran’s drone and missile producers over the weekend attack.
The United States, Israel’s top ally, has said it would soon impose new sanctions on Iran’s missile and drone program and said it expects allies to follow with parallel measures.
Baerbock and Britain’s foreign minister David Cameron visited Israel yesterday, where they called for calm amid fears Israel will retaliate to the unprecedented attack by Iran, which caused little damage after most of the projectiles were intercepted.
Cameron urged the G7 to adopt new “coordinated sanctions” against Iran, which he accused of being “behind so much of the malign activity in this region.”
The G7 ministers were discussing the Middle East situation, followed by a session on the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea that have disrupted global shipping.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.