CALLS FOR CALM
Allies including the US had pressed all week to ensure any further retaliation would be calibrated not to provoke more escalation, and Western countries tightened sanctions on Iran to mollify Israel.
There was no word from Israel on Friday as to whether further action might be planned. Apart from direct strikes on Iranian territory, it has other ways of attacking, including cyber-attacks and strikes on Iranian proxies elsewhere.
In a sign of pressure within Israel’s hard-right government for a stronger response, Itamar Ben Gvir, the far-right national security minister posted a single word on X after Friday’s strikes: “Feeble”.
At the end of a meeting in Italy, foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrialised democracies urged “all parties to work to prevent further escalation”.
They also called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of hostages held there by Hamas, an influx of aid for civilians in Gaza and for Israel to hold off from attacking Rafah, the last refuge for more than a million Gazans.
Beijing, Moscow and Arab states also called for restraint in the region.
In financial markets, oil prices initially surged but later slipped back, a move market analysts said pointed to a belief that an escalation of hostilities in the region might be avoided.
By morning, Iran had reopened airports and airspace that were shut during the strikes. But travel disruption is set to continue in the region, with some flights rerouted by international airlines and others suspended.
