UK calls for caution amid potential escalation in Middle East

Britain’s foreign secretary has called for caution over potential miscalculation which could lead to heightened violence in the Middle East.

The warning came following threats by Iran to retaliate against Israel following this month’s deadly airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Syria.

“Today I made clear to Foreign Minister (Hossein) Amir-Abdollahian that Iran must not draw the Middle East into a wider conflict,” David Cameron wrote on X.

He said he is “deeply concerned about the potential for miscalculation leading to further violence.”

“Iran should instead work to de-escalate and prevent further attacks,” he added.

With Tehran publicly threatening that an airstrike on its consulate in Syria on April 1 “would not go unpunished,” Israel is on high alert due to fears of potential retaliation by Iran on Israeli targets.

The attack claimed the lives of at least seven members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two top generals.

Iran has accused Israel of carrying out the attack and vowed to respond. Israel, however, has not officially claimed responsibility for the strike.

The latest face-off coincides with Israel’s ongoing, lethal military assault on the Gaza Strip in response to a cross-border assault by Hamas in early October that left about 1,200 people dead.

Since then, there have been over 33,500 Palestinian deaths and over 76,000 injuries in Gaza due to widespread devastation and a lack of basic supplies.