The hours extending between Sunday night and Monday witnessed an escalation in regional tension between Israel and Iran, amid American diplomatic moves aimed at containing the situation and preventing it from sliding into a broad military confrontation, at a time when Israel continued to hint at the possibility of responding to the recent Iranian strikes.
Israeli media reported that the phone call between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump had ended, noting that Netanyahu informed the US President of his intention to carry out a large-scale attack against Iran. According to the same reports, Trump confirmed that the United States would not participate in any military operation of this kind if Israel decided to proceed with it.
In an indication of the continuing discrepancy in positions between Washington and Tel Aviv, Israeli Channel 12 reported that the United States has not yet given its approval for any Israeli attack against Iran, while Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that the American administration asked Israel to wait until the results of the ongoing negotiations and the possibility of reaching a political agreement.
Following the phone call, Netanyahu and Israeli Security Minister Yisrael Katz held an expanded meeting that included senior security and military officials to discuss developments related to the Iranian file. In this context, the Israeli Chief of Staff confirmed that the army is ready to carry out military strikes immediately after the issuance of the political decision, while the Israeli Broadcasting Authority “Kan” indicated that the military institution is ready to work, but the final decision remains linked to obtaining American support or approval.
On the other hand, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that any new “aggressive adventure” targeting Iran or Lebanon will be met with an “overwhelming and comprehensive response,” considering that the strikes carried out by the Revolutionary Guard against Israeli targets fall within the right of legitimate defense. The Iranian authorities also denied that any attack had occurred within its territory, and announced the suspension of flights to and from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran until further notice.
On the American level, Trump confirmed that both Iran and Israel “received blows,” stressing that the region does not need further escalation, and expressing his desire not to collapse any potential agreement with Iran as a result of the current military developments.
In light of fears of the expansion of the confrontation, the US Embassy issued emergency security instructions to its employees to remain near shelters and prepare to take shelter when necessary. It also suspended its consular services until June 8 due to potential security threats.
In parallel, Iraqi Airways announced the suspension of all its flights during the period of closure of Iraqi airspace, while the Iranian “Mehr” Agency reported that flights at Tehran International Airport would continue to be suspended until further notice.
Despite the tough Israeli statements, analysts in the Israeli media suggested that any possible military response to Iran would be limited or of a symbolic nature, in order to avoid expanding the circle of regional conflict.
Israeli Channel 13 also quoted officials as saying that intensive contacts are currently taking place at the regional and international levels to prevent the outbreak of a large-scale war in the region, stressing that the chances of comprehensive escalation do not appear high at the present time, in light of continued coordination with the United States and diplomatic efforts aimed at containing tension and preventing deterioration of the situation.
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