If Iran attacks us, we expect UK & France to join us in retaliation: Israel

Israel has told the United Kingdom and France that it expects them to join retaliation against Iran in case of an attack.

Since the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month, which Iran blamed on Israel, an attack on Israel by Iran and its allies in the region, such as the Lebanon-based Hezbollah, has been widely anticipated .

Israel conveyed its expectations in a meeting with top British and French diplomats on Friday.

Earlier on Friday, British Foreign Minister David Lammy and French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné visited Israel and met Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. The meeting came at a time when Israeli negotiators were holding talks in Qatar's Doha for a deal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages . It has been said that a ceasefire deal in Gaza may convince Iran to scale down the scope of its attack.

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In a statement following the meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of Israel said that “Israel expects France and Britain to publicly clarify to Iran that it is unacceptable for it to attack Israel and that if Iran attacks, the US-led coalition will join Israel not only in defence but also in an attack against significant targets in Iran”, according to The Times of Israel.

In the of the anticipated Iranian attack, the United States has been working to revive a coalition it forged in April to help with the defence of Israel against the Iranian attack — the first time ever Iran directly attacked Israel. The coalition comprises the US, British, French, Saudi, and Jordanian militaries and it is expected that the coalition —or at least some members of the coalition— would be part of the defensive actions this time as well.

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In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Katz thanked the UK and France for their support since the outbreak of the war last year and called for a united response to any attack by Iran.

“I thanked them for their support of Israel and made it clear that the right way to deter Iran and prevent war is by announcing that if Iran attacks, they will stand with Israel not only in defense but also in striking targets in Iran. Iran is the head of the axis of evil, and the free world must stop it now before it’s too late,” said Katz.

I hosted my colleagues, the French FM @steph_sejourne and the British Foreign secretary @DavidLammy, in Jerusalem today for an urgent visit amidst Iran's threats to attack Israel.

I thanked them for their support of Israel and made it clear that the right way to deter Iran and… pic.twitter.com/2bDs1B8LRU

— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) August 16, 2024

Following the meeting, Lammy said that any Iranian attack would be devastating for the Middle East.

Lammy said, “This is a dangerous moment for the Middle East. The risk of the situation spiraling out of control is rising. Any Iranian attack would have devastating consequences for the region.”

There are widespread fears that any Iranian attack and subsequent Israeli retaliation could lead to an escalatory cycle that could plunge the entire Middle East in an all-out war . It has previously been reported that Israel has assessed that a coordinated attack by Israel and its allies could open as many as five fronts of war.

Lammy further said, “As we head now to 315 days of war, the time for a deal for those hostages to be returned, for aid to get in the quantities that are necessary in Gaza and for the fighting to stop is now.”

Séjourné stressed that any action to destabilise the ongoing peace talks was unacceptable. He said that the Middle East was at a critical junction as the region “because it could lead to peace or war”.