Roundup: Israel's cabinet meets on counterattack on Iran amid surging pressure for restraint

JERUSALEM, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Israel was under mounting pressure from world leaders to restrain from making a major military move to retaliate against Iran's missile and drone attacks.

After two postponements, Israel's war Cabinet is scheduled to convene on Thursday to discuss a wide range of options that Israel could take against Iran, a government source told Xinhua, adding that a majority of the ministers support a counterattack but have yet to decide on the "scale and timing."

The upcoming meeting will be the third group discussion in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war Cabinet this week, focusing on the high-stake issue amidst international calls for restraint, said the source.

Iran on Saturday night launched hundreds of drones and missiles in its first direct strike on Israeli territory, though Israel said most of them were intercepted. The developments broke decades of indirect clashes between the two arch-foes.

The Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers' meeting will formally start in Italy on Thursday, with topics centered on a U.S.-led appeal for more sanctions on Iran, which Britain has already voiced support, sending a message to Israel to appease it into giving up retaliatory attacks on Iran.

Ahead of the G7 talk, Netanyahu hosted German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron on Wednesday, during which the two diplomats called for de-escalation in the Middle East.

Baerbock said that the region must avoid spiraling into heightened tensions. "Everyone must now act prudently and responsibly," she told reporters before departing Israel for the G7 meeting.

Speaking to reporters in Jerusalem, Cameron said Israel has decided to carry out a counterattack against Iran. He said this attack should be "as little as possible" to escalate tensions and should remain "smart as well as tough." He added that Britain supports "coordinated sanctions against Iran."

Netanyahu, however, said before convening a regular cabinet meeting that Israel reserves the right to attack.

"Our friends ... have all kinds of suggestions and advice, which I appreciate; however, I would also like to clarify -- we will make our decisions ourselves. Israel will do whatever is necessary to defend itself," he was quoted in a government statement as saying.

Earlier this week, Israel's military chief Herzi Halevi said that the Iranian attack, which was mostly intercepted by a coalition that includes the United States, Britain, Jordan and Israel, "will be met with a response."

Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported on Wednesday that Israel was coordinated with Arab allied countries on its possible attack, which might target Iranian sites in Syria.