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G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to Israeli drone attack

Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict. Meanwhile, an apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site near the central city of Isfahan. It came days after Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on Israel.

Here is the latest:

Quick Read

  • The G7 foreign ministers have warned of new sanctions against Iran due to its drone and missile attacks on Israel, urging both sides to prevent escalation.
  • After Iran’s attack, there was an apparent Israeli drone strike on Iran targeting air defenses at a major base and a nuclear site near Isfahan.
  • The United States, having been informed by Israel about the drone attack at the last minute, clarified it did not participate in the operation.
  • German, Turkish, and other international leaders have emphasized the need for prudence and responsibility to avoid further escalation in the region.
  • Tensions remain high as regional and global powers react to these incidents, with ongoing concerns about the broader implications for peace and stability in the Middle East.

The Associated Press has the story:

G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to Israeli drone attack

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Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.

Meanwhile, an apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site near the central city of Isfahan. It came days after Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on Israel.

This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows Iran’s nuclear site in Isfahan, Iran, April 4, 2024. Iran fired air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan after spotting drones, which were suspected to be part of an Israeli attack in retaliation for Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Israel also carried out a missile strike targeting an air defense unit in southern Syria, causing material damage, state-run SANA news agency quoted a military statement as saying Friday.

Israel had vowed to respond to Iran’s unprecedented weekend attack, leaving the region bracing for further escalation after months of fighting in Gaza. Allies have urged Israel to hold back on any response to the attack that could spiral.

This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows the dual-use civilian airport and air base in Isfahan, Iran, Thursday, April 18, 2024. Iran fired air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan after spotting drones, which were suspected to be part of an Israeli attack in retaliation for Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Regional tensions have increased 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 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 more than 33,900 people, according to local health officials.

GERMAN MINISTER SAYS MIDEAST MUST ACT ‘PRUDENTLY AND RESPONSIBLY’

CAPRI, Italy — German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says everyone in the Middle East must “act prudently and responsibly” to avoid a further escalation in the region.

Baerbock said after meeting her Group of Seven counterparts that “neither the people in Israel or Iran, nor those in third countries of the region, want to be plunged into a catastrophe – they all only want one thing, to live in peace.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, top left, Norway’s Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt, bottom left, Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, center, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken chat during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Norway, Thursday, June 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

The minister was tightlipped on events overnight in Iran. She said that, in light of reports of strikes, “we call on all sides to work on avoiding a further escalation; as the G7, we are doing this tirelessly.”

She added: “I have nothing further to add to that.”

TURKEY’S LEADER SAYS STATEMENTS BY IRAN AND ISRAEL ‘ILLOGICAL’

ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that statements put forward both by Iran and Israel after an apparent drone attack on Friday in Iran are “illogical.”

Erdogan also criticized the U.S. for continuing to support Israel in the U.N. Security Council as tensions escalate between Israel and Iran.

Speaking after Friday prayers, Erdogan told a group of journalists that neither Iran nor Israel is taking “ownership” of the situation.

“Currently Israel is saying different things. Iran puts forward different views, there is no ownership (of the situation). There is not one statement that isn’t illogical.”

FILE – Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes statements with Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis after their meeting at Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, on Dec. 7, 2023. Erdogan used a speech on human rights Saturday Dec. 9, 2023 to accuse the West of “barbarism” for its stance on the Israel-Hamas war and what he alleged was its toleration of Islamophobia. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas, File)

Erdogan, who is highly critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza, accused the U.S. of making conflicting statements about having prior knowledge of the drone strikes and said that he wasn’t surprised by the reiteration of support for Israel by the U.S. at the U.N. Security Council.

“While everyone is on the side of Palestine, unfortunately America puts forward their stance again by standing by the side of Israel.,” he said. “We didn’t expect anything different anyway.”

FILE – In this photo released by Lebanese government, Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, speaks during a press conference after meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, June 28, 2021. Hamas said Wednesday, Dec. 20. 2023, its top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, has arrived in Cairo for talks on the war in Gaza. (Dalati Nohra/Lebanese Official Government via AP, File)

Erdogan also reiterated that he would host Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh on Saturday. When asked what would be on their agenda, Erdogan refused to give details.

Turkey doesn’t recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization and allows leaders of the group to travel in and out of the country.

Erdogan has described Hamas as a “liberation group” and has met Haniyeh several times in recent years.

BLINKEN SAYS US NOT INVOLVED IN ANY ‘OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS’

CAPRI, Italy — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday the United States was not involved in any “offensive operations” in the apparent Israeli drone attack in Iran, but declined to respond to claims that Israel gave the U.S. advance notice of the action.

“I’m not going to speak to that except to say that the United States has not been involved in any offensive operations,” Blinken said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets the journalists during a press conference at the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting on Capri Island, Italy, Friday, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Asked to describe the current U.S.-Israel relationship, Blinken noted that Israel makes its own decisions, but the United States is committed to its security.

“We are committed to helping Israel defend itself and as necessary participating in its defense, as you saw just a few days ago,” Blinken said. “Again, Israel makes its decisions, but we have a commitment to defending it.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets the journalists during a press conference at the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting on Capri Island, Italy, Friday, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

“And you saw an unprecedented attack from Iran, and Israel and the United States and others worked with Israel to make sure that that attack would not have devastating consequences. And thankfully, it did not.”

RUSSIA INFORMS ISRAEL THAT IRAN ISN’T SEEKING TO ESCALATE THE CONFLICT

MOSCOW — Russian authorities have informed Israel that Iran isn’t seeking to escalate the conflict, Russia’s top diplomat said in an interview broadcast live on Friday.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told several Russian radio stations that Russia’s leadership was in contact with their counterparts in Iran, and Russian officials were also in touch with the Israelis.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attends his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

“We very clearly outlined in these conversations and conveyed to the Israelis that Iran does not want escalation,” Lavrov said after news broke of an apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran.

Iran couldn’t “not respond to a gross violation of international law and status of a diplomatic mission, but it doesn’t want escalation,” the official added.

ISRAEL GAVE US LAST-MINUTE WARNING ABOUT DRONE ATTACK ON IRAN, ITALY’S FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS

CAPRI, Italy — The United States told the Group of Seven foreign ministers on Friday that it received “last minute” information from Israel about a drone action in Iran, Italy’s foreign minister said.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani gestures as he speaks to reporters during the final press conference at the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting on Capri Island, Italy, Friday, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the United States provided the information at a Friday morning session that was changed at the last minute to address the apparent attack. Tajani said the U.S. informed the G7 ministers that it had been “informed at the last minute” by Israel about the drones. “But there was no sharing of the attack by the U.S. It was a mere information.”

He said Italians living in Iran were all accounted for and “without problems.”

GERMAN LEADER SAYS EVERYONE MUST ENSURE NO FURTHER ESCALATION

BERLIN – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is calling on all in the Middle East to ensure that there is no further escalation in the region, but he and his government are saying little about events in Iran overnight.

Scholz noted at an event on the North Sea island of Norderney Friday that there were reports of more “military activity” during the night.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends the cabinet meeting of the German government at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, July 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

He said: “I can’t and don’t want to say more about it than that for us, a very clear principle goes for all – everyone must now and in the near future ensure that there is no further escalation of the war.”

Scholz said that Germany will talk with “all our friends and allies” about de-escalation.

Asked about reports of an Israeli attack, Scholz’s spokesperson, Steffen Hebestreit, said in Berlin that he can’t contribute “anything of my own” to information on what happened.

G7 FOREIGN MINISTERS WARN OF NEW SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAN

CAPRI, Italy — Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who chaired the meeting of ministers of industrialized countries, said the agenda of the three-day meeting was changed on Friday to address the latest developments.

FILE – Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani listens to questions during a press conference on G7 at the Foreign Ministry in Rome, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. Group of Seven foreign ministers are holding a three-day meeting on the Italian resort island of Capri, starting Wednesday, April 17, with soaring tensions in the Mideast and Russia’s continuing war in Ukraine. Tajani said he spoke to Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz, on Tuesday, and urged Israel to not only de-escalate any reaction to Iran’s attack but to stave off a planned offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis, File)

Early Friday, Iran fired air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site near the central city of Isfahan after spotting drones. They were apparently part of an Israeli attack in retaliation for Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country last weekend.

Tajani didn’t immediately address the incident, but said that G7 ministers condemned Iran’s weekend attack on Israel and urged both sides to exercise restraint.

“The political objective is de-escalation,” Tajani said in a closing news conference.

People visit the Mount of Olives overlooking the Dome of the Rock at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, Friday, April 19, 2024. Tensions have been high since the Saturday assault on Israel amid its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip and its own strikes targeting Iran in Syria. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

ISRAELI FAR-RIGHT MINISTER’S X POST DRAWS CONDEMNATION

JERUSALEM — Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir appeared to ridicule an apparent Israeli strike on Iran Friday morning, posting a single word to X: “Lame.”

The attack hasn’t been confirmed by Iranian or Israeli officials. Iran fired air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan after spotting apparent Israeli drones.

FILE – Itamar Ben-Gvir, the minister of national security in Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government, attends a weekly cabinet meeting on Jan. 3, 2023, in Jerusalem. Israeli police broke up a meeting by Palestinian parents in east Jerusalem about their children’s education, claiming it was unlawfully funded by the Palestinian Authority. Police said they prevented the meeting from taking place Sunday, Jan. 8, and that they were operating under an order by Ben-Gvir to shut it down. (Atef Safadi/Pool Photo via AP, File)

The attack is thought to be an Israeli retaliation to Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.

Ben-Gvir’s post drew condemnation from Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, who said that the firebrand minister had inflicted “heavy” damage on the country’s “security, its image, and its international status.”

“In an unforgivable one-word tweet, Ben-Gvir managed to mock and shame Israel from Tehran to Washington” Lapid wrote on X.

People visit the Mount of Olives overlooking the Dome of the Rock at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, Friday, April 19, 2024. Tensions have been high since the Saturday assault on Israel amid its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip and its own strikes targeting Iran in Syria. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

TURKEY SAYS IRAN-ISRAEL TENSIONS RISK BECOMING ‘PERMANENT CONFLICT’

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s Foreign Ministry says that it’s becoming clear that tensions between Iran and Israel risk “turning into a permanent conflict.”

“In light of the latest developments, it is becoming increasingly evident that the tensions that were initially caused by Israel’s illegal attack on the Iranian Embassy in Damascus risk turning into a permanent conflict,” according to a statement from the ministry.

Iranian worshippers chant slogans during an anti-Israeli gathering after Friday prayers in Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 19, 2024. An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

“We call on all parties to refrain from steps that could lead to a wider conflict. The priority of the international community should be to stop the massacre in Gaza and to ensure lasting peace in our region by establishing a Palestinian state.”

OMAN CONDEMNS ‘ISRAEL’S REPEATED MILITARY ATTACKS IN THE REGION’

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The sultanate of Oman has condemned what it called an Israeli attack on Isfahan on Friday.

Oman has close ties with Iran and often serves as a interlocutor for the West when dealing with Tehran.

Iranian worshippers walk past a mural showing the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, right, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, left, and Basij paramilitary force, as they hold posters of Ayatollah Khomeini and Iranian and Palestinian flags in an anti-Israeli gathering after Friday prayers in Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 19, 2024. An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A statement from its Foreign Ministry said Oman “condemns and denounces Israel’s repeated military attacks in the region.”

EUROPEAN COMMISSION HEAD BESEECHES IRAN AND ISRAEL TO TAKE NO FURTHER ACTION

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Israel and Iran to refrain from further actions, saying “it is absolutely necessary that the region stays stable.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attends a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

“We have to do all, everything possible that all sides of this time from the escalation in that region,” von der Leyen said Friday in Finland in reply to a question on the recent strikes by the two countries on each other.

Von der Leyen was on a visit to part of Finland’s 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) land border with Russia — one of the EU’s longest external borders — with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo to see the migration that Helsinki is facing from Moscow.

CHINA IS OPPOSED TO ANY ACTIONS THAT FURTHER RAISE TENSIONS IN THE MIDEAST, FOREIGN MINISTRY SAYS

BEIJING — China is opposed to any actions that further raise tensions in the Middle East, its Foreign Ministry said Friday after an apparent Israeli attack on Iran.

Asked about Israel, Iran and rising tensions in the Middle East, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the reports had been noted.

FILE – In this image made from video, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian gestures during a media briefing that referred to reports of atrocities in the Ukrainian town of Bucha at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office, on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, in Beijing. China has described reports and images of civilian killings in Ukraine as disturbing, and urged that they be further investigated, even while declining to blame Russia. That’s drawn questions about the resiliency of Beijing’s support for Moscow, but speculation that it is weakening appears to be misplaced. (AP Photo/Liu Zheng, File)

“We oppose any actions that lead to the escalation of tensions,” Lin told reporters at a daily briefing Friday. “China opposes any actions that lead to the escalation of tensions and will continue to play a constructive role in easing the tensions.”

BRITAIN CAUTIONS AGAINST ESCALATION AS IT INVESTIGATES REPORTED ISRAELI STRIKE INSIDE IRAN

LONDON — Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cautioned Friday against escalation in the Middle East, saying Britain was working to confirm the details around a reported Israeli strike inside Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, shakes hand with Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron as they attend an Indo-Pacific meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting on Capri Island, Italy, Friday, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, Pool)

“We have condemned Iran’s reckless and dangerous barrage of missiles against Israel … and Israel absolutely has the right to self defense,” he said. “But as I said to Prime Minister Netanyahu when I spoke to him last week, and more generally, significant escalation is not in anyone’s interest. What we want to see is calm heads prevail across the region.”

AUSTRALIA URGES CITIZENS TO LEAVE ISRAEL AND PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES AS MIDEAST TENSIONS RISE

SYDNEY — The Australian government urged its citizens Friday in both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories to leave “if it’s safe to do so,” in response to growing military tensions in the Middle East.

The Department of Foreign Affairs posted a travel advisory on its website Friday saying “there’s a high threat of military reprisals and terrorist attacks against Israel and Israeli interests across the region” and the security situation could deteriorate quickly, with little or no notice.

It said military attacks could cause closures and travel disruptions, and that Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport may pause operations due to heightened security concerns at any time.

Previously, the government had advised Australians to reconsider their travel to these areas, or whether to remain in the region, but had stopped short of asking its citizens to leave.

ISRAELI STRIKE TARGETS AIR DEFENSE UNIT IN SYRIA, STATE NEWS AGENCY SAYS

BEIRUT — Israel carried out a missile strike targeting an air defense unit in its south and causing material damage, Syria’s state-run SANA news agency quoted a military statement as saying Friday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the strike hit a military radar for government forces. It was not clear if there were casualties, the Observatory said.

A passerby, taking on his cellphone, walks past a banner showing missiles being launched from Iranian map in northern Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 19, 2024. Iran fired air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site near the central city of Isfahan after spotting drones early Friday morning, raising fears of a possible Israeli strike in retaliation for Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The Observatory’s chief Rami Abdurrahman said six Israeli fighter jets entered Syria’s airspace and were flying east when they were spotted by the radar. He added that the fighters jets were flying east.

The warplanes were seen around the time loud noises and drones were reported near a major Iranian air base and nuclear site early Friday. That area of Syria is directly west of Isfahan, some 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) away, and east of Israel.

Iranian state television described all atomic sites in the Isfahan area as “fully safe.” The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, also said “there is no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites” after the commotion.

Currently:

— Iran fires at apparent Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site

— Israel gave US last-minute warning about drone attack on Iran, Italian foreign minister says

— US and UK issue new sanctions on Iran in response to Tehran’s weekend attack on Israel

— US vetoes a widely supported resolution backing full UN membership for Palestine.

Palestinian soccer renews call for sanctions against Israel at FIFA congress

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