British Prime Minister David Cameron urged Israel to “think with its head and heart” not to retaliate against Iran’s missile attacks.

The foreign secretary said the country needed to be “smart but tough” in thinking about the consequences of escalating violence in the region.

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He told Sky News: “I completely understand that Israelis want to see more (action) but I think now is the time to think with your head and your heart, to be smart but also to be strong.

“I think the smart thing to do is actually to recognize that the Iranian attack was a failure and we want to continue to focus on that, focus on Iran’s malign influence and really focus on what’s going on in Gaza.”

Iran More than 300 drones and missiles were launched An attack across Israel on Saturday night triggered an air raid siren.

The attack ended on Sunday morning, with Israel reopening its airspace and saying it, along with its allies, had intercepted 99 percent of the projectiles fired into its territory.

Lord Cameron echoed US President Joe Biden’s remarks that Israel should “win”, noting that a successful attack could cause “thousands of casualties”.

He said that Britain Shoot down some Iranian dronesIf Tehran strikes again, help will be offered again.

But he stressed: “We are working hard to avoid escalation, and the actions we have taken together with the Americans and other countries have clearly helped prevent escalation because the Iranian attack has almost completely failed.”

The call for a de-escalation of tensions came after Israel’s war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said the country would “pay a price” for Iran’s actions.

Prime Minister Sunak will discuss developments in the Middle East in the House of Commons later today and the UK will “absolutely” consider imposing further sanctions on Iran, Lord Cameron told BBC Breakfast late on Monday morning.

Israel “listens carefully to allies”

A spokesman for the Israeli embassy in London said Israel had “no intention of retaliating” but wanted to ensure it was “prevented” from further attacks by Iran.

Ollie Goldschmidt told Sky News: “We are listening very carefully to our allies and we are taking into account what they say, but at the end of the day, we are going to have to protect ourselves against the threat from Iran.”

Ms. Goldschmidt said she would not comment on what Israel’s response might look like or when it might occur.

Asked whether he thought Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had the right judgment, Lord Cameron said the two had “a lot of arguments and differences, but it’s our job to work with the Israeli government”.

He continued to insist there was a “huge difference” between Israel’s attack on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria earlier this month and Iran’s retaliatory attack on Saturday.

‘Difference in degree’ between Israeli and Iranian attacks

Asked whether Israel showed good judgment by attacking the Iranian consulate in Damascus, he said: “This is what the Israelis decided to do.

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“I completely understand the frustration that Israelis feel when they see the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the horrific things they are doing around the world, including their support of Hamas.”

He added: “I think there is a huge difference between what Israel did in Damascus and the 301 weapons Iran fired at Israel.

“This is the first attack between countries. 101 ballistic missiles, 36 cruise missiles, 185 drones. This is a certain degree of difference. I think Iran’s approach is reckless and dangerous.

“I think the whole world can see, all these countries are thinking, well, you know, what is the true nature of Iran? It’s in black and white.”