Israeli ministers urge response to Iranian attack

JERUSALEM

Israeli ministers on Sunday called for a response after Iran fired drones and missiles on Israel, in retaliation for an April attack on its embassy in Damascus that killed several military commanders.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said his country would face an “immediate existential threat” if it hesitated to respond to Iran's attack.

Smotrich made the remarks in a recorded statement as the head of the Religious Zionism Party, broadcast on his X account.

“After an important night, our subsequent behavior will shape the Middle East and Israel's security,” he said.

Smotrich expressed his gratitude “to the Israeli army and the Iron Dome system for their excellent work for the state of Israel, its safety, and security.”

“Also thanks to our friends in the world, and when we are in a war between good and evil, we know how to unite,” he said.

Iran is said to have fired more than 300 drones and missiles in an attack that lasted several hours, many of which were intercepted by Israeli air defense systems. The US, UK and France also helped ward off the attack.

Smotrich pointed out that “the eyes of the Middle East and the entire world are turning towards the state of Israel, and if the echo of our response resonates throughout the Middle East for generations to come, we will prevail.”

“If we hesitate, we will expose ourselves and our children to an immediate existential threat,” he said.

“Our destiny is in our hands, and this is the right time for a leadership capable of restoring deterrence, and having the courage to restore security to the citizens of Israel, not with slogans, but with actions.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right politician, also called for a strong response to Iranian strikes.

“To create deterrence in the Middle East, we must respond with madness,” Ben-Gvir, who is the leader of the Jewish Power party, said in a recorded statement broadcast on X.

He explained that “Israel's response must not be weak because the concepts of containment and proportionality disappeared from the world on Oct. 7 (Hamas' attack on Israel).”

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala