Britain, France and Germany issued a joint statement Monday calling on Iran to refrain from attacking Israel, which they fear will ignite a regional war.
Iran fired some 350 explosive drones and ballistic missiles at Israel on April 13 in retaliation for Israel’s bombing of the home of Iran’s Ambassador to Syria, a building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Damascus, and the assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leaders. The Iranian ambassador was not in the building at the time of the attack.
Now, Iran has vowed to avenge the assassination in Tehran of Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh two weeks ago. There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Mossad is widely believed to have carried out the operation.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned Iran “will bear responsibility” for any attack on Israel that “would further escalate regional tensions” and jeopardize a ceasefire deal to free the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.
The three European nations called on Iran and its allies to “refrain from attacks that would further escalate regional tensions and jeopardize the opportunity to agree on a ceasefire and the release of hostages.”
The three countries said the fighting in Gaza must end and all hostages held by Hamas must be released, adding that Gazans need “urgent and unfettered delivery and distribution of aid.”
In fact, no one in Gaza is starving and there are multiple videos uploaded to TikTok by locals proving they are throwing away great quantities of the aid international organizations insist is “desperately needed.”
In their statement, the three nations warned that Iran and its proxies “will bear responsibility for actions that jeopardize this opportunity for peace and stability.” They also praised the “tireless work of our partners in Qatar, Egypt and the United States towards an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages.”
Iran’s proxy in Gaza, Hamas, is still holding 115 Israelis and other nations hostage since their abduction from southern Israel by the terror group.
Negotiations to free the hostages and a ceasefire to facilitate their release were set to resume this coming Thursday, but Hamas announced Sunday that it will not send representatives to the talks. Israel agreed immediately to send a delegation.
