British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson condemned "in the strongest terms" suspected Iranian rocket attacks against Israeli positions in the Golan Heights and called on the Islamic Republic to refrain from any further actions that would destabilize the region.
“The United Kingdom condemns in the strongest terms the Iranian rocket attacks against Israeli forces,” Johnson said in a statement Thursday. “We strongly support Israel’s right to defend itself.”
“We urge Iran to refrain from further actions which will only lead to increased instability in the region. It is crucial to avoid any further escalations, which would be in no one’s interest.”
Johnson also called on Russia to press the Syrian regime, its ally, to work toward a broader political settlement.
Meanwhile, Russia said the Israeli strikes on Iranian facilities in Syria have marked a dangerous escalation, urging both Israel and Iran to avoid provoking each other.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow sees Thursday's strikes as a "very alarming development."
He noted that in contacts with the leadership of both countries, including a meeting Wednesday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "we underlined the necessity of avoiding any actions that might be mutually provocative." Netanyahu visited Moscow Wednesday to attend celebrations marking the WWII victory anniversary.
The attack in the Golan prompted Israel to launch a wave of missile strikes at Iranian targets inside Syria. Iran has not commented on the exchange of fire. Syria's military said the Israeli strikes killed three people and damaged a number of its air defense units.
