“It is clear that Israel will respond to Iran’s attack,” says British chancellor

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Wednesday (17) that it was clear that Israel was “taking the decision to act” in response to the Iranian drone and ballistic missile attack.

Speaking to journalists after arriving in Jerusalem, Cameron said he hoped Israel would “do this in a way that contributes as little as possible to the escalation of the situation.”

Cameron also said a “united front” was needed to impose sanctions on Iran, which “was behind much of the malign activity” in the region.

Cameron continues on a trip to Italy, where a three-day meeting of G7 Foreign Ministers is taking place.

Discussions on tensions in the Middle East, including Iran's attack on Israel, will be high on the agenda.

Iran launched a wave of explosive missiles and drones on the night of April 13, a retaliatory attack that Tehran said was in self-defense following the April 1 bombing of its embassy complex in Syria's capital.

Tensions have risen across the region since the start of Israel's Gaza campaign last October, with Israel or its ally the United States in repeated clashes with Iran-aligned groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and in Yemen.