G7 countries pushing for Iran sanctions over attack on Israel
Group of Seven foreign ministers are meeting on the Italian resort island of Capri, with calls for new sanctions against Iran over its attack against Israel and more aid to Ukraine to fight Russia’s war topping the agenda.
Under Italy’s rotating stewardship, the G7 leaders are expected to issue a united call for Israel to exercise restraint after Iran’s unprecedented weekend attack involving hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles fired toward the Jewish state.
Israel facing pressure to de-escalate after Iran’s attack
On the Mideast front, tensions have ramped up since the start of the latest Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, when Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a devastating cross-border attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others. Israel responded with an offensive in Gaza that has caused widespread devastation and killed over 33,800 people, according to local health officials.
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World leaders have urged Israel not to retaliate after Iran launched a revenge mission that pushed the Middle East closer to a regionwide war. The attack happened less than two weeks after a suspected Israeli strike in Syria killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consular building.
Fatima Hussein in Washington and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed.
