The Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, weekend, said the latest attacks from Iran constituted a “declaration of war” against the State of Israel. Israel, which said it was already mulling the options before it since it understood the repercussions of what had happened, also disclosed it was discussing with its partners across the world. The G7 also met in the light of the development and to review the situation, but immediately committed to the security of Israel. But the United States President, Joe Biden told the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, that since the attacks appeared to have caused minimal casualties and damage, the US would not help in any counter-attacks against Iran, a senior administration official said.
At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian warned that an escalation of the situation and “provocative acts” could increase tension in the Middle East, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Nevertheless, the Nigerian government called on both Israel and Iran to exercise restraint in the ongoing face-off between the two countries. In a statement by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Francisca Omayuli, said, “The Federal Government of Nigeria joins other members of the international community to call on Iran and Israel to exercise restraint, as diplomatic efforts are ongoing to ease tension and avoid a wider conflict in the Middle East. In this critical period, it behooves the two countries to reflect on the universal commitment to peaceful resolution of conflicts, for the advancement of global peace and security.” Herzog, speaking yesterday, said, “This is real war. I mean, this is a declaration of war. Now, because we are restrained and because we know the repercussions, and because we have deliberations with our partners, we are considering all options and I’m quite confident that we will take the necessary steps that are necessary to protect and defend our people.”
