Lord Cameron tells Israel to ‘take the win’ and not escalate clashes with Iran as UK joins frantic diplomatic efforts to stop ‘WW3’… with Rishi Sunak to address MPs later

Lord Cameron pleaded with Israel not to escalate clashes with Iran today amid frantic efforts to defuse tensions.

The Secretary of State echoed Joe Biden’s suggestion that Benjamin Netanyahu should ‘take the win’ while touring television studios.

He insisted that the world needs to remain focused on Hamas and the continuing struggle for hostages from the October 7 terrorist attacks.

Rishi Sunak will make a statement to MPs this afternoon, with Israel threatening airstrikes in retaliation for a blitz of 350 missiles over the weekend.

The US, UK and other allies hope to take the heat out of the situation, which comes against the backdrop of the bitter conflict in Gaza. There are fears that violence could spread across the Middle East and potentially draw in global powers.

Lord Cameron (R) pleaded with Israel not to escalate clashes with Iran today amid frantic efforts to defuse tensions. Rishi Sunak (left) will make a statement to MPs later

Israel’s Iron Dome responded to intercept Iran’s attack over the weekend

Lord Cameron said that “Israel has every right to respond as an independent sovereign country to being attacked in this way”.

“But I think we are very keen to avoid escalation and to say to our friends in Israel that this is a time to think with the head as well as the heart,” he told Sky News.

And in many ways this is a double defeat for Iran. Not only was their attack an almost total failure, but also the rest of the world can now see what a malignant influence they are in the region and understand their true nature.

“And so I think it’s right for Israel not to escalate, but obviously they’re a sovereign, independent country and they’re going to make their own decisions.”

The Foreign Secretary said: ‘Our hope is that there will not be a retaliatory reaction and instead the world’s focus should shift to Hamas.

‘They are still holding those hostages. They have been offered a deal that prisoners can be released from Israeli prisons in exchange for some of these hostages and there will be a lull in the fighting. That’s what needs to happen next, and that’s what I hope we can focus on.’

IDF spokesman Peter Lerner said this morning that there would be retaliation from Israel and stated that this could involve ‘a strike or no strike’.

He explained that the top military had submitted ‘a wide range of options’ and that there are ‘many different scenarios’ on the table.

The Israeli government will ‘decide on the steps forward’ as early as today.

Israel says it intercepted 99 percent of the hundreds of missiles and drones fired by Iran, with assistance from the United States, Britain and France.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) during a War Ministers meeting at Kirya in Tel Aviv

Joe Biden spoke with Mr. Netanyahu in a phone call late Saturday night

“Just because we were successful in intercepting, we shouldn’t underestimate what Iran did,” Mr. Lerner said. “We can’t take that lightly.”

Asked whether Britain would impose more sanctions on Tehran, as Labor has called for, Lord Cameron told BBC Breakfast: ‘Absolutely. We already have 400 sanctions against Iran. We introduced a completely new sanctions regime at the end of last year, which is proving very effective.

‘We have sanctioned the IRGC – the Iranian Revolutionary Guard – in its entirety. And we will continue to look at what further steps we can take.

‘I think there is an opportunity, and I’m sure the Prime Minister will talk about this in her statement to the House of Commons, to try to work closely with our partners in the G7. All these things are more effective if the countries can act together.

‘I think in many ways Britain has been at the sharp end, has been most keen on sanctions and pressure and on turning up the heat, recognizing … that Iran is the bad actor in the region, but it is best if we can do these things together.’